the next steps
by electrikitty
Summary: now that heine has finished his work as the princes' bodyguard, what happens now? the selection process for new personal guards — but given that these princes fought an entire council for the right to keep their tutor, this ordeal is going to be anything but easy and everyone knows it… / set after 'the royal bodyguard' / complete
1. Chapter 1

**WELCOME BACK TO**

 **THE WORLD OF**

 **…THE ROYAL BODYGUARD…**

 **So Far in the Story:**

'The Royal Bodyguard' (Completed)

 **Yet to Come:**

'Alone Together' (June)

'Mein Schatz' (September)

'Red Banner' (December)

'The Royal Gardes du Corps Féminin' (TRB's Sequel)(2020)

 **On the Timeline:**

\- Set after the anime, and references the anime-original backstory therein.

\- Set during Volume 7 of the manga.

\- Set between 'Chapter 38: We Are Rivals!' and 'Chapter 39: Twinkling Love'.

 **Backstory**

Manga and anime plot information has been combined and streamlined, with the idea that the characters are continuing through the manga storyline after having learned the backstory information from the anime.

 **Headcanons:**

\- (Dead!Queen) In an attempt to rationalise why the queen is barely mentioned in the series, I went this route. Volume 10, in which Adele vaguely hints that the queen is alive, was not in print at the time of writing. If the manga confirms that the queen is indeed alive, then I will rework that subplot to be canon-compliant when I edit the TRB series.

 **Personal Canons**

\- (Bodyguard!Canon-Compliant AU) Bodyguards are an established part of the TRT Universe, and if a character can be one and still be canon-compliant, then it's definitely happening.

 **Notes:**

\- Canon-Compliant: Yes

\- OC's: Yes

\- Warnings: Angst in spades, but this is more cute and fluffy than the main story. Enjoy.

\- Spoilers: Obviously, anime spoilers. And if I ever need to include major spoilers for the manga in TRB, I'll tag that chapter with an Author's Note.

 **TRB Project Progress:**

Once I've finished writing the TRB series, then I'll go back through and edit for series consistency and canon compliancy. Edited stories (a quick once-over) will be tagged '(Edited),' and revised stories (a massive overhaul) will one day be tagged with a '(Revised)'.

 **This Story Is Dedicated To:**

Very-Dark-Grey Kitsune

Loved and admired more than you know.

 **And without further ado...**

 **…IT'S TIME FOR A LESSON…**

* * *

 **~ Heine ~**

It feels stranger than it should to be holding a book instead of a gun.

I turn the pages one at a time, my eyes drifting over the words. It feels like slowly stepping into a bath, with a temperature so mild that you can't make up your mind whether it's cold or hot. After literally reading from sunrise to sunset, it seems that my concentration is starting to fade a little.

I may as well be trying to read with my glasses off and my vision is _horrendously_ poor.

I close the book — a comprehensive guide to modern literary terms — with a thump that echoes throughout my room. My chambers are lit with a fading sunset, with an overly-large bouquet of fresh flowers spilling from the vase at my bedside. A fresh cup of tea smokes and steams beneath the flowers and greenery.

I exhale; push my glasses up, and flex my fingers. I confess, I often find that my height puts me at a disadvantage, but it was only after being confined to bed rest, indefinitely, that I realised how grateful I was for the little height that I had when I had the ability to stand. I only held the position of the princes' personal guard for a week, but that short period of time had long-reaching effects. It was a week of insane political drama and kidnappings and poisonings and shootings and we wrapped out all of that with a fight on the water that took down an entire ship. One that I hope was insured, for that matter…

But regardless, that mess is done and my time in active service has also come to an abrupt close, because of my injuries, amongst other reasons. Now my only task is to continue to groom the princes to the throne, and I for one am more than happy to work behind a desk once more, rather than in the shadows and behind the scenes.

The clock ticks, and I check my pocket watch.

Soon, the princes will show up for a 'group lesson' that I asked them to attend— a meeting where I'll have to give them some news. News that will likely upset their little royal solar system much in the same way that my arrival at the palace once did.

I check my pocket watch again. It's nearly four. The same time that I held my first ever group lesson with the princes.

Yet things have certainly changed since I came to the palace, and this time I don't have to wonder if all the princes will show up — it's only a question of _how_.

Bruno crashes into the room on the stroke of ten minutes to four, eyes sparkling and a stack of books under his arm. 'Master! I was able to arrive precisely ten minutes early! My blasted pocket watch was working this time!'

I smile wryly at his theatrics. 'Very good, Prince. It's nice to see you.'

He crosses the room and places the books in a neat stack on my bedside, dropping to one knee to adjust the pile and make it as symmetrical as possible. I notice that the titles are already alphabeticised. 'I fetched the books you asked me to bring, Master. …I recall you said that you had nearly finished the novels I brought you last time; did you wish me to find you some more?'

'I did finish them, thank you.' I pass him two hardback tomes. Collectively, they're thicker than my waist. 'I'd read the Gherman translations of "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina" during my teaching studies, but I figured that as I had the time on my hands then I should read them in their original languages.'

Bruno leans against the bed, and manages a laugh. 'My word, Master… Most people don't read one-thousand books in foreign languages for fun. Impressive, as always.' He takes the topmost volume and opens it up, tracing a finger down the words written in the language of Orosz. 'I don't read much fiction myself… perhaps I should attempt to rectify that.'

'We could begin some foreign literatures studies, perhaps,' I suggest. 'And on that note, you may find "Les Misérables" easier if you wish to attempt reading in a foreign language, as it's written in the language of Fonseine — '

The door slams open. 'Heine-doll!'

Bruno slaps the book shut and turns Licht, who poses with one arm on the doorframe and a confident grin on his face. 'Brother, _how many times do we have to_ — '

'Yeah, yeah.' He leans back into the hall. 'Hey, girls?'

I can't think of a facial expression that fits with what I want to say. 'Why… exactly… do you have your entourage with you, may I ask?'

'Because they all have get well presents for you!' Licht says, and three of the prince's girlfriends dart around him like butterflies, loading him up with flowers and chocolate, then they push past him, framed in the doorway with teary, heartfelt expressions, and say in unison, 'Get well soon, Heine-darling!'

Bruno has to turn away before the view that the girls' leaning forward provides pushes him over the edge. I force a smile, yet I don't have to try terribly hard. The girls' concern actually appears to be genuine. 'Thank you, ladies.'

'You don't need to worry, my darlings,' Licht says, and takes their sniffling and sobbing on his shoulders all in stride. 'It could have been far worse!' He winks. 'I can think of many an injury to befall a such a handsome man and trust me, it could have been _much_ worse — '

'Licht!' Bruno yells. 'I can't even be bothered grasping the specifics of whatever lewd insinuation you're making, but take your women and get yourself out of here _now_!'

'"Women"?!' one of the girls protests. 'How cold!'

'You're so cold, Prince Brunie!' the second wails.

And the third tops it off with the lament, 'He'd be perfectly fanciable if only he weren't always so cross!'

'What the de— _OUT ALREADY!_ '

The girls sigh and sulk and smother Licht with such kisses that make me wish for a pitcher of water to wash out my eyes with, and with kind farewells for Licht and I and glares for Bruno, the girls take their exit.

'Licht!' Bruno snatches Licht by the collar of his jacket as he walks up and hauls him to the floor for a lecture. 'One: I told you to get out! And two: Can you leave your seraglio in your rooms and not bring those… shameless hussies with you whithersoever you go?!'

'Jeez, I'm meant to be here for a meeting with the rest of you, so how am I meant to… wait, what's a seraglio?'

'What do you think it means?!'

'I think it means you spend too much time reading the dictionary!'

'And enough of your flippancy!'

'And enough of your complaining, or you're not getting any chocolate!' Licht says and dumps his spoils all over the bed. He looks over at me, and his grin softens. 'Hey, Teach. How are you feeling?'

'I'm feeling fine, Prince, thank you.'

'That's good.' He takes my hand in his and gently rubs his cheek against the back of my hand, like an affectionate kitten. 'I'm glad.'

He lets me go and indicates the pile of glittering foil and paper packaging with a shameless gesture. 'Anyway, as I was saying. Sweets from the girls, and flowers too. A _lot_ of them, as you can see.' He picks up a box of chocolates and gives them to me with a smile. 'These ones are from yours truly.'

'My, thank you.' I glance over at the half-empty box of confectionery that sits on a nearby sidetable. 'But I must confess, I have not even finished the last box of sweets you brought me…'

'Ah, well, I did only give those to you the other day.'

'On that note, why more…?'

Licht rummages through the confectionery, and examines a few of the packages. 'I was out with the girls and we found this great little confectioner's place by our favourite caberet, so I — '

Bruno groans. 'D_it, Licht, the chocolate's probably contaminated by proximity. You should return it to the shop at once.'

'Do you want some or not?' Licht demands.

Bruno hesitates. Then grumbles and gives in. 'Fine. If Master wishes to _share_ it — as it's been gifted to him and is no longer in your possession — then yes, I would.'

'Oh. Eh… Heine?'

'Yes, yes, help yourselves. There's no way on earth I'll ever be able to eat all that, but thank you for the kind gifts regardless.'

'Yay!' Licht laughs and tosses a caramel at Bruno, who catches it with an unamused expression. 'Oh for goodness' sake, Brunie, you know those are your favourite.'

Licht picks up a bar of milk chocolate, and Bruno rounds in for the kill. 'Milk chocolate? My, how _ordinary_ …'

'Geh…'

I gingerly open a box of individually-wrapped chocolates and taste one, only to realise that they're chocolate liqueurs. A treat, certainly, but anything alcoholic is probably not the best for my health, especially as I still have healing wounds. It's only been about a week since we managed to sink an entire ocean liner in our efforts to save the kingdom, and for two of those days I've been unconscious. So I'm far from being fully recovered, just yet.

Licht sighs and rests his elbows on the bed. 'Yeah, I know this is a little… much, but I was telling the girls all about how you got injured, and they were in _tears_ , I tell you. They wanted to give you some get well presents, out of the goodness of their hearts!'

'Out of the depths of their pockets, more like,' Bruno mutters.

'Their pockets paid for that caramel you're eating, so — '

Kai slips into the room with a sheaf of paper under his arm. 'Hi… Teacher.'

'Prince Kai,' I say, and nod.

He crosses the room and greets me with a smile. 'I finished the homework you gave me the other week…'

I take the papers he hands over, and I flick through them. 'Wonderful. Thank you. That reminds me, you've had your week of school holidays as promised, so that means it's back to school next week.' Licht groans, and I bite back a smile. Even though they're princes of the realm, in some ways they'll always be ordinary teenagers. 'No fussing,' I say.

'Sorry, sorry,' Licht says, 'It was instinctive whinging.'

'Fair enough.' I hesitate, somewhat embarrassed. 'On that note, I… I'm still not… I've been told that I can't risk overexertion at this point, so I'll have to teach you from here. I'm sorry — '

'No, of course not!' all three of them protest.

I smile, but I still feel a touch guilty about it. 'I would come and teach your lessons as per usual, but your father previously forbade me to get out of bed… and my legs are not currently serviceable, either.'

'Stop worrying about it, Heine-darling!' Licht takes my hand again, and says, 'Besides, you're far more important, so take the time you need to get well!'

'Licht is right,' Kai says. 'We're all able to study on our own, and we can take your lessons here in your room when it's needed… It's fine.'

'…Mm,' I murmur. 'Thank you. But some would say that the education of the kingdom's princes was actually more important than…'

'Nyeh.' Licht makes a disagreeing noise. 'Bruno here is already an over-educated braniac genius child — so it's not as though he's going to drop back a grade the moment you take your eyes off him. And the same more or less goes for the rest of us.'

Bruno looks as though he doesn't know whether to confirm or deny, so he just glares at Licht. 'I suppose, but — ' His expression changes. 'Ah. Well, there is Leonhard…'

'What about him?' I can feel faint traces of panic beginning to well up. 'Has he been struggling with trying to study on his own again? I knew it, I — '

'No!' Licht protests, trying not to laugh. 'Bruno was speaking generally; he's fine! He'll probably be a little panicked at having to study on his own a lot at first, that's all! So stop worrying, _Mom_ — '

Leonhard blasts through the door and trips and crashes headlong into the foot of the bed. 'OW!'

I raise an eyebrow. 'Prince, are you — '

His head pops up and he blurts out, 'It's not four, right?! I mean, it's almost four but I'm not late am I — '

And the clock strikes the hour.

Leonhard collapses over the end of the bed and gasps for breath. 'Oh thank goodness…'

'I thought Bruno was the punctuality freak,' Licht observes.

'Licht!'

Leonhard pulls himself together, and blushes in embarrassment. 'I just figured I'd try and get here on time… for once… Hey, Heine.'

'Hello, Prince.'

But then Leonhard registers the chocolates scattered over the bed, and his eyes light up. 'What on earth — a sweets party? Why'd you start without meee?!'

'Eh, well…' Licht shrugs and says, 'You're here now, aren't you?'

'Fair point.' And Leonhard pops the lid off a jar of chocolate buttons, offering them to Bruno as well. 'Chocolate, Bruno?'

'Don't I get any?' Licht teases.

Leonhard flicks a chocolate button in his direction, then passes the jar over to Kai. 'Don't eat them all — '

'Like you're one to talk!'

'How dare you! I'm a mature adult, and since when did I ever eat too many sweets?!'

'Uh, I don't think you want me to answer that…'

I smile, watching the four of them laughing and talking. And I decide that I better bite the bullet and get this over with.

'Could I ask you to help me clean this up, Prince Licht? I asked you all here to talk about something, not have a sweets party, I'm afraid.'

'Yeah, yeah — Bruno, clean it up,' Licht orders.

'Where on earth do you get off on that?'

'Delegating — it's an essential skill for all candidates of the throne.'

'I'll help,' Kai offers. He and Leonhard begin shovelling chocolates back into the boxes they fell out of, and placing those boxes back in their gift bags.

Bruno and Licht pitch in as well, and Licht remarks, 'It's almost like Valentine's Day with all of this stuff…'

'What's Valentine's Day?' Leonhard asks. He catches a few stray chocolates that I toss in his direction, but doesn't forget the question

'…I'm not even going to get started on that,' Licht says.

'It's a holiday where people give each other flowers and chocolates and things,' Bruno says wearily.

Leonhard perks up. 'Chocolate? Why haven't I heard of this before?!'

'Maybe because it's a holiday where _lovers_ give each other flowers and chocolates and things as tokens of their fiery passionate _luuurve_ and _you_ don't have a _girlfriend_?'

'…What? Gross! Can't you just have the chocolate without all of… whatever you just said?'

'But that's the whole point! And there are some great kissing games you can play with chocolate — '

Bruno claps a hand over Licht's mouth and sits him down on a chair. 'That's enough of that nonsense, brother mine.'

'Fine, fine.'

'…Kissing games?'

'N-Nothing you need to hear about at your age, Leonhard!'

Leonhard frowned. 'But Licht is younger than I am and he's the one that brought it up — '

Bruno sits Leonhard down and pushes Kai into a chair and takes a seat himself so fast that he nearly tips his chair over. 'So what did you wish to talk to us about, dear Master?!'

'…Ah. Yes, right.' I collect my thoughts, take a deep breath, and exhale.

'I've asked you here because I need to tell you all something, something that is going to bring some changes to the palace…'

 _To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

**~ Heine ~**

'I've asked you here because I need to tell you all something,' I say, 'something that is going to cause some changes in the palace.'

The princes all fall still, and silent.

And suddenly, I remember.

 _You're the only one I would want to take my place, Heine. You know, I didn't just call you here to teach them. I wanted you to come and be family to them. To be there for them when I can't. I trust you. And I want you to treat them as though they're your own, because I want to share this with you._

My heart skips a beat, and my mind blanks.

All I can hear is Viktor's words in my head. Words I've had the chance to think about a little — but this is the first time I've had to talk — properly talk — to the princes since I gained that knowledge. And I don't know if things are meant to be different, I don't know I'm meant to _do_ …

All I know now is that I don't even know what Viktor truly meant, and now I'm… scared.

Too scared to step into a role that I don't know how to act in, a role for which there's no script, stage cues, or instructions.

'Heine?'

And I realise the princes are all staring at me.

I wonder if this is what stage fright feels like.

So all I can bring myself to do is to be who I've always been, putting Viktor's words, whatever they mean, away for later. But they're still there — a Pandora's box that has been opened, the contents placing a strange sort of pressure on my heart.

'I'm fine. My apologies, I was merely gathering my thoughts.'

I hesitate, still wondering how to proceed regardless of my uncertainty. Leonhard's eyes widen. He sits back in his chair, and crosses his arms tightly, as though to ward off a cold breeze. 'Y-You're not… leaving again… are you?'

I blink. 'What? No. No, of course not!' I sit up in my haste to correct myself, only to feel a sharp pain in my side and I gasp, unable to think anything but _pain sharp help make it stop AGH —_

In a flash, Leonhard is at my side and holding me steady. 'Heine!'

I close my eyes and exhale. I get my breath back, but with effort. 'I'm sorry. I… moved too quickly.' I take his hand, and get the words out that I was trying to say. 'I'm not going anywhere, Prince. Rest assured.'

He searches my eyes, still keyed up after sprinting to my side like that. 'Y-You promise?'

'Come on, Leonie, you know he wouldn't leave us all now!'

'L-Licht is right… for once.'

'You're staying, aren't you, Teacher?'

And with a jolt, I realise that all the princes, despite their words, look just as panicked as Leonhard. Just as desperate to see me stay.

'I promise.' I look down and rest a hand on the quilt, on my leg. 'And even if I wished to, for some inexplicable reason, I do not think I could go anywhere even if I wanted to.'

'Oh. Fair point.'

'Anyway.' I look at each of the princes, and try to gather my thoughts for long enough to tell them what I need to say.

'Boys, I need to tell you something.'

Bruno turns white. 'You're not… telling us you're…'

I throw my one good hand up in impatience. 'I'm not going to die! My word, you're all almost as bad as your father!' I soften my words with a smile. 'And besides, it would be a poor testimony to the palace physician's efforts if I were to bow out now, of all times. Please, may I finish?'

Licht mimes buttoning his mouth shut and pushes Bruno back in his chair. 'Go for it, Teach. Sorry.'

I push my glasses up, exhale, and look at the princes. _Third time's the charm._

'I need to tell you all something. Now that we've finished dealing with the Venetian Affair, I will be retiring from active service.'

It takes a little while for the news to register — that I will no longer be serving as their bodyguard.

I rest a hand against my chest, and on seeing the bandages, I'm reminded yet again that I can't deny my injuries. Yet those injuries were only one of many reasons that contributed to my retirement. Among the others are my inability to both teach and guard the princes in the long run, as well as Viktor coming to the conclusion that he didn't want me to be in the level of danger that I was in while working as the princes' guard. And also, I realised that I needed to accept that people cared about me, that they cared about what happened to me. Despite part of me still resisting it, I couldn't continue to throw myself in the firing line as I once used to.

So I've officially given up my job as the princes' guard, but our 'troubles' are not quite over yet.

'…Okay?' Leonhard shakes his head, then nods. 'I mean… I don't really get it, but… Okay, I guess?'

'Well, yeah,' Licht says with a frown. 'Don't get us wrong, Teach, we literally owe you our lives and we're very grateful. But we don't want to see you get hurt — and you'd keep getting hurt if you kept on with this, wouldn't you? So we'd even be happy for you to call it quits.'

'And we noticed you were… not to cast aspersions on your multi-tasking skills by any means, Master,' Bruno says, 'but you seemed to be having difficulty with managing both teaching and your other work at once.' He gives me a smile. 'We're usually the cause of all your work, and we'd hate for you to push yourself too hard for our sakes, for whatever reason. We'd feel awful.'

'Bruno's right,' Kai says. 'It's not worth anything to see you get hurt, Teacher…'

Kai's words echo what Viktor told me merely days ago, and it takes me by surprise. I crack a smile. 'Thank you, boys.'

But that felt too easy. And with a grimace, I realise why — it's not their _reaction_ to my stepping down as their bodyguard that I need to be worried about, it's their reaction to the _result_ of that decision. I brace myself.

'This means that you will all be taking on new bodyguards. Your father is currently screening candidates and you will each begin with your new personal guard tomorrow.'

A moment of silence.

' _What?!_ '

Leonhard stammers for a few good seconds before coming up with a coherent reply. ' _What?_ I… No! No way!'

'L-Leonhard!' Bruno protests. He doesn't know who to look at — me or his younger brother — so he settles for a series of flailing gestures that address the room at large. 'We just argued out every reason _why_ Master shouldn't continue to — '

'I know we did — but new guards?! That's like getting a new tutor, and that's going to be bad no matter how you look at it!'

 _I see that Prince Leonhard's usual keen instincts are in play again…_

'What the…' Licht throws up a hand in protest. 'You mean we've got to have bodyguards hanging around us all day every _day_?! They'll scare all my girlfriends off!'

'Treat it as a test of their affection for you,' Bruno retorts. But he fingers his cheek, already stressing out over a dozen scenarios. 'This means I'll have to… ugh, I'm poor enough at social interaction as it is and now…'

Kai flinches, suddenly hitting on a realisation of his own. 'I'll have to talk to him… all the time… oh, no…'

'Boys!'

They all snap out of it and turn to me, somewhat taken aback. I sigh. 'Look.' I straighten my glasses and say, 'Let me at least explain your father's reasoning behind this, and then you can carry on with being stubborn if you wish.'

They fall silent, and let me speak.

'I imagine your father spoke to you about Rossaine Savaz? Your mother's former bodyguard? The man who was blackmailed into orchestrating the elaborate sabotage attempt that put your father and all of you in danger.'

'Yes, he did.' Bruno sits back in his chair and gestures. 'He was blackmailed by the Kingdom of Venetia, as were other people like Beatrix's family and Father's high steward, yes? But hasn't Venetia now taken responsibility for that situation, leaving us to wash our hands of it?'

'Yes, that is correct. But unfortunately, our problems are not that easily solved.'

Leonhard's brow creases. 'Why not?'

'Venetia may be taking responsibility and sorting out the two factions of spies that caused this mess, but just because the threat is being supposedly being taken care of, doesn't mean that we can resume business as normal without taking extra precautions for your safety.'

'But… don't we have guards? Like Maximilian and Ludwig, members of the Royal Guard,' Licht says.

'We do. But as you all well know, guards are not going to be effective enough in some circumstances.' In place of my teacher's pointer, I use my index finger to accentuate my words. 'It only took one person to alter the guard patrols. And while we can ensure that does not happen again, the point is that the palace's security still has its weak points. And while the security is being revised, we don't want to have any of those points exposed by way of an attack on any of you.'

'Heine…' Leonhard toys with his gloves. 'Why did you even become our guard in the first place?'

I blink. That's certainly a valid question, come to think of it. I nod, and smile a little. 'Your father hired me to temporarily be your guard out of necessity. He must have caught wind of the fact that something wasn't right, somehow. The process for hiring and screening new guards or bodyguards is a lengthy one, and we had no opportunity to look for alternate solutions right then. I was his only choice at the time, but now your father can take the proper precautions to keep you safe.'

The princes consider this for a moment.

Kai hesitates, then begins to speak, faltering every now and then, 'I… think I see what you mean, but… this incident was a… freak accident, so to speak? We so very rarely have attempts on the crown in this kingdom. Now that the issue is dealt with, isn't it… excessive to presume that it's going to continue like this?' He gestures, but gives up. 'I'm sorry… I'm not explaining well…'

'No, you have a valid point. It _was_ a once-in-a-blue-moon occurence. But this isn't really about whether there are going to be more attempts on the crown or not.' I push my glasses up and I can feel my voice starting to give. The princes' questions are all valid, but I wish I didn't have to explain all this complicated information, and I wish so badly that I had more patience. But both my patience and my strength are running out faster than I expected, and I just want this conversation to be over already.

I exhale and try to keep my temper. 'You are all princes of the kingdom. There has been a recent attack against the crown. Therefore, you are all liablities and still at risk, and your rank and position entitles you to protection. Refusing to take it would be negligent.' I can feel some dizziness teasing the edges of my vision, but I firmly push it away and continue. 'We have three issues. The first is that you need added protection while we revisit the palace's security. The second is that extra protection while the political drama with Venetia settles down wouldn't go amiss. And the third is that the kingdom's centennial celebrations are coming up, which will be a massive international event and a big security risk. Hiring bodyguards now is as much to protect you in the immediate future as well as securing your safety at that time. There's really no other option available to us — either that or jeopardise your safety as princes. Do we need to rehash all of this again or can we conclude — '

'Liabilities? Risks? So this is all just because we're princes?' Licht's fingers dig into the edge of his jacket. 'Is that what all this fuss is about?'

' _Prince Licht!_ ' I snap.

He flinches, and stares at me as though I slapped him.

I lower the hand that I unconsciously raised. '…F-Forgive me. I'm… not myself at the moment.' I swallow down the regret and lower my voice. 'I'm sorry. Let me try to explain. As princes, you have a role in the kingdom, no matter what you yourselves perceive it to be. You have a responsibility and a duty to the crown. It may not feel like a privilege, and it may even feel like an undeserved hassle sometimes. But you'll come to understand the gravity of it in time, as you grow older and take your places in society as representatives of the royal family.'

Licht looks away, wrestling with something that I can't quite see. Then he looks back. 'No, I'm sorry.' He rubs a hand over his face and sighs. 'We're being real brats — we're the ones causing _you_ a hassle.'

Leonhard can't meet my eyes. '…I guess he's right. I… It was nice when you were our guard, but… there's no way we can do that anymore. I just…'

Despite my losing struggle with my temper, I'm finding it hard to be frustrated with them.

They're not merely being temperamental for the sake of it. Perhaps they were at first, but given what a run of bad luck they've had with a similar problem — royal tutors — it's unsurprising that they're resistant to change. They're genuinely trying, however, trying to process their world being tipped on its head again. We've already had one of the most horrible weeks of our lives, and we're all still tired and upset and out of sorts, and this whole business is probably the last thing the last thing we need.

The thought comes to me. _Why can't they just do it?_ And — _Why did_ I _have to tell them? Why couldn't_ Viktor _have done it?_

Guilt hits me in a sickening punch. I know perfectly well that Viktor is busy with his work, and also with screening the princes' new guards. He asked me to be the one to tell the princes, and with my consent, he handed it off to me. And it's my _job_ to be there for the princes, to guide them and help them when they run into trouble. And I normally treasure every moment of it.

But I'm just so tired of talking. I just want everything to… stop.

 _What on earth is the matter with me?_

'Boys, I…' My discomfort is so severe that I can hardly meet their gazes, and I'm so painfully unsure of what to say. 'Could you… at least…'

But the looks on their faces stop me in my tracks. I stop talking, confused. The princes exchange glances, concerned looks and quick flashes of whispered words, before coming to an agreement and a snap decision.

'We'll do it!'

'Do what?'

But Licht is already at my side, taking my hand and giving me a quick farewell hug. 'We'll take on the new bodyguards — you don't need to stress about it. We're sorry for causing you trouble.' He pats me on the head and lets me go with a smile.

'B-But why are you — '

Bruno pauses by the door and says, 'Even though you've been confined to bed, it's mortifyingly easy to forget that you're still unwell, with how well you've been bearing up. We didn't realise we were putting you to such lengths. We're tremendously sorry.' He trots out a ninety-degree bow and rights himself so fast that he nearly falls out in to the hallway. 'Well organise our affairs for tomorrow at once!'

'You make it sound like we're going to attend our own funeral!' Licht gives me a lazy smirk and says, 'He's right, though. One would think you were a cat or something — they always hide everything and you never know when the d_ things are sick. Besides, you should have just asked us to do this for _you_ — we'd have done it in a snap!'

'M-Me? B-But I… don't… understand…'

Licht laughs and waltzes out the door. 'My, are you _embarrassed?_ Have you been on painkillers again — '

Bruno clamps a hand on Licht's shoulder and shoves him down the corridor. 'For all you know he _is_ on painkillers — give him a break from your nonsense!'

'Yeah, yeah — bye, Teach! _Tchüss-su_!'

'My word — ' Bruno leans back around the door with a smile and says, 'Rest well, Master,' before sprinting after Licht while yelling, ' _Get back here at once!_ '

Kai waves goodbye, and takes his leave. 'We'll see you tomorrow, Teacher.'

I nod, but I'm still terribly confused and it must show on my face, because Leonhard raises a questioning eyebrow.

'I-I don't understand why they said "for you,"' I say in bewilderment. I'm drawing a perfect mental blank. 'What does difference does that make, I have nothing to do with — '

'It means we want to help you,' Leonhard says bluntly. 'You're still having to help us sort all this out, aren't you? So if there's anything that we can do to make things easier for you, then we want to do it! We… care about you.' He blushes slightly, and walks off in a huff. 'Can't you see that?'

And the door slams, leaving me in peace with a pile of flowers and chocolates and questions.

I touch a hand to my cheek. It feels warm to the touch, and I wonder if I've got a fever.

…I struggled so much to try and get the point across to them. Until I got to the point where I was simply done, and subject to every whim of and fancy of exhaustion and keyed-up emotions. But it wasn't my well thought-out arguments that changed their minds, it was…

I don't actually know what it was.

I take a pile of papers and a quill pen, and spread them over my lap. I should be preparing the princes' lessons for tomorrow. But instead I take a book and idly flick through the pages, thinking about different things, things other than the words I'm reading. Too tired to do anything else, yet not tired enough to sleep. So I read, waiting until I'm tired enough to rest. Waiting for the sun to disappear into the dark.

 _To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

**~ Leonhard ~**

We get absolutely no warning whatsoever. The only warning I get is my father's steward introducing me to a man that I've never seen in my life, before walking out and leaving him in here. In my rooms.

And I don't think I like the look of this at _all_.

I stand poised in the middle of the room, warier than when Heine tried to jump me with a pop quiz. I didn't even catch the man's name; I was too startled to catch it when he was introduced.

He stands motionless at the door. A shock of black hair and a suit that's too plain, and too dark. I catch a hint beneath his jacket of one of those holster things that Heine used to wear. And the way he's watching me is just driving me absolutely mad.

I open my mouth to snap out an order to stop staring, or get out from my presence, or to even just flee the palace while he's at it… but I promised Heine that I would try. So I will. I guess I can do that much.

I nod at him, not knowing what to say in greeting, and I think I'm far too stiff.

And I can't help it — I dig my heels in and dig them in even harder than I expected to.

Heine told me to try, but he didn't tell me to _behave_. And if this guard can't handle me like Heine can, then let's get that sorted right out of the gate.

'All right, listen.' I jerk a thumb at my chest and force him to pay me heed. 'Let's get this out of the way now. I don't know who you are and I'm actually not interested, but I'm the fourth prince of the Kingdom of Glanzreich, and I'll _not_ be ordered around by the likes of you.' I place a hand on my hip and exhale, then look him in the eyes. 'I'll tolerate you, for now. _Understood?_ '

He says nothing for a moment. Then bows slightly, then stands in exactly the same position as before.

And he says nothing.

My hand slips from my hip, to my side. And he's not… going to…

And I turn my back and take a seat on a nearby chaise lounge, suddenly feeling like I don't even know what I'm doing.

My heart aches more than I thought it would. I was hoping that he'd be like Heine. That he'd see past my facade and find the 'real' me. Yet I can tell — that he doesn't like me at all. That he finds me a nuisance. Is that my fault? Should I have tried harder? I want to, but… I don't know how.

This is the first time in my life that I've wanted to do more than 'this much,' yet I don't know how to _do_ more than that.

And I just feel miserable now.

I risk looking at him. He's still watching me, glancing around the room every now and then, but his eyes always keep coming back to land on me with the consistency of a metronome.

I snap open the diary that's lying on the table and start writing, spilling out a mix of frustration and disappointment. I always get so negative about everything, and I hate that about myself. But at least by writing it down then I can lock it up and leave it for later. But the pages remain blank, and I realise I'm so distracted that I forget to fill the pen with ink.

I unscrew the ink well. I could… kick him out. But I promised Heine that I'd try.

I exhale again. _I promised. I can do that much. I can do that much for Heine._ I nod, more decisively than before, and set to work, writing out line after line.

Yet some instinct pricks at me, deep inside. I could always trust Heine to never read my diaries over my shoulder, but without realising it… I'm covering my diary with one hand and writing with the other.

 **~ Licht ~**

* * *

'Eh?' Corrina says.

That's about as eloquent as my own response would be. I mean, how else am I meant to react to Father's steward _dumping my new guard_ into the midst of a tête-á-tête with my lady friends?!

It's as though we've all been frozen in place like a game of musical chairs. The man — whoever he is — backs up to the wall and remains as motionless as a statue. 'Pardon the intrusion if you would, Prince.'

Corrina looks at me warily. 'Lichie? Who is… that?'

 _My new bodyguard — and my new killjoy._ I plaster a grin on my face while internally screaming, _Thanks for that one, Dad!_

I get it together and say, 'Eh, I don't really know! Apparently my brothers and I are all getting new bodyguards, but don't worry — he won't spoil our fun.' I give the guard a lazy smile. 'Right?'

He ignores my barbed comments and fills the girls in on the barest minimum while pretending as though he's not actually looking at them. 'I am His Highness' new personal guard. I will be attending to him from this day forth.'

He glances at me. And it kind of feels like a slap on the wrist.

It's not as though I don't know how to recognise it — that thinly-veiled disdain for my playboy theatrics. For the way that I go through girls like Bruno goes through paper and ink. An automatic assumption that I'm the worst of the worst; that I take every girl I set eyes on to my chambers.

I mask a wry grimace. I mean, come on. I'm a self-proclaimed wild child, but I'm not _that_ bad.

So, stinging and smarting, I switch my smile to something cooler and turn my back on him, turning back to the girls. I know that he and I aren't going to get along. We won't click, not like how I managed to with Heine.

'So girls — '

But to my complete and utter horror, all of them are curiously padding over to the guard in the way that a bundle of kittens would investigate a new cat toy.

Oh my word — _no_! _What if he's good with girls?!_

I nearly slam my head against the wall for not seeing this coming.

My reputation as the most charismatic individual in this palace will be in peril! I can't even pull my weight as a prince if I don't have this going for me — Bruno will be absolutely intolerable when he finds out; Leonhard will laugh at me; and Kai will look down on me and Father will —

'Hey, mister,' Corrina purrs, and my heart nearly gives out right there and then. 'Come sit, won't you?'

Rosa entwines her arms around the crook of the guard's elbow, and he stiffens. 'It'll get so boring standing over there!'

'We'll give you a good time…' Anne teases.

I sit on a nearby ottoman in a daze. 'You fickle creatures…'

I think this might be what defeat looks like. Still, I make an attempt to lure them back, or at least to salvage my pride. 'Come on, girls!' I laugh nervously, and get up. 'Don't do that, you'll… annoy…'

And I realise what I've missed. _He's actually not enjoying it_.

A lightbulb snaps on in my head, and I backpedal right into the depths of a nearby chair. '…Actually, go for it! I'm sure you can convince him, I mean, if you can't then no one else can, right?'

A chorus of squealing and they double their efforts with a vengeance, nearly knocking the poor man right off his feet figuratively _and_ literally.

I cover my eyes with gloved fingers and smirk so hard that I think I might strain my pretty face. Aren't I just a genius? What better way to drive this guy out than by annoying him to death? These girls nearly floored Heine in their first encounter; you could practically weaponise these three and use them to win a _war_. I continue congratulating myself… but then I stop.

Oh. I promised Heine that I'd try, didn't I? I feel a slight twist of conscience. As much as I don't want to, I think I better call the girls off —

'You're so mean, mister!'

'So cold!'

'Not fun at all!'

Eh? I look up and realise that…

My word. He's still standing, and judging by their pouting expressions… _they haven't made a scratch on him._

I think my little takedown was doomed from the start.

The girls scamper back over and jump onto the couch that I'm seated on, falling into our usual tangle. Corrina flops down with her head on my lap, and she teases me with a finger to my cheek. 'Don't worry, Prince. We're still loyal to you.'

 _Girls…_

'Yes, but only as long as you buy us those chocolate roses you promised for Valentine's Day,' Rosa reminds me.

I blink, then burst out laughing. 'Sure, whatever you like.'

I pretend not to see Anne clench her fist in a teasing show of victory, but I don't miss what she says. 'That guy is no fun at _all_. Goodness, I don't know what you'd need to ply him with to even make him approachable.'

'Wine?'

'Champagne?'

'Kisses?'

'We tried that; it didn't work.'

'Hm…'

It seems that I _grossly_ underestimated my opponent. I think I would have needed a bit more strategy if that little idea of mine were to actually work…

I resolve to forget about it, and instead listen to Rosa's giggles and Anne whispering in my ear. It's going to be awkward, having a 'chaperone' for our usual games, but it's a small price to pay to help Heine. Especially as I was the one who put forward the notion that we grow up and just take on our new guards with no complaints.

But then I see him glaring at me. More specifically, at Corrina's arms around my waist and Rosa's hands on my shoulders. I wrinkle my nose at him. What — does he actually think that these girls are threats…

Then I realise that he actually does. It makes me want to tip my head back in frustration and groan. I've known these girls for _years_ ; they're not dangerous! They can put their hands wherever they _want_ and I'd trust them!

But for some reason, that look on his face tells me that I need to do something, and quickly.

So I disentangle Sophia from myself and pop her at a distance — under the cover of kissing her with my hands in her hair and teasing all the while. I glance at the guard even while we're still right in the middle of it. _See, she's not on my lap anymore — so get off my back, 'mister.'_

'What?! No fair, I want a turn!' Mari protests.

'Me too!' Ana wails.

I sit back and grin at the two of them, before beckoning with a finger. 'Don't worry darlings, there's plenty of me to go around!'

But I can't enjoy their delighted shrieks and the scent of their perfume like I normally do, because an uncomfortable sensation in the pit of my stomach tells me that it's not going to be as easy to keep my promise to Heine as I thought...

* * *

 **~ Bruno ~**

I haven't even taken a seat at my desk before Father's steward knocks at my door. I stop in the middle of pulling my chair out, and step away from the desk. 'Come in?'

A stranger steps inside. He fits into the room in a moment, so quickly that it's disconcerting. If I weren't paying attention, or if I took my glasses off, I would probably assume that he was a piece of furniture and pay him no mind. Already, I'm feeling less than poised, especially with the knowledge that he's going to be watching my every movement day in and day out.

I exhale and take a quick breath. All the time I've spent working independently and talking to others very little has left me somewhat less than confident in my own social skills, but surely this can't be too bad? If anything, this man is an employee in my father's household. I shouldn't have to watch my step with an excessive degree of painstaking care.

'Greetings,' I say with a smile. 'I'm Prince Bruno, the third prince of the Kingdom of Glanzreich. Although I suppose you already know that. It's a pleasure.'

I could be mistaken, but that looks like the faintest hint of relief in his eyes. I imagine that my brothers and I are all being handed off to our new guards simultaneously, but knowing Leonhard and Licht's propensity for theatrics, it's likely that rumours of scandal and drama are already blazing through the palace's halls even in the two minutes that our guards have been here. He must be relieved to see that I'm in my right mind by comparison, and quite possibly normal, too.

He bows. I notice that he's younger than I expected, but still broad-shouldered and competent-looking, with silver eyes. 'It is an honour, Prince. It will be my pleasure to serve you.'

I gesture to the two settees that frame a coffee table, and as we take our seats, it reminds somewhat of the first interview that I had with Heine, when he came to the palace.

I ignore the slight pressure on my shoulders, and ignore the nerves. If putting up with this… mild inconvenience will help Master recover, then it is my duty to carry it out to the best of my ability.

Déjà vu strikes again, as the man takes out a folded piece of paper and passes it to me. 'Forgive me for being forward, Your Highness, but His Majesty the King has requested that you and the other princes read the rules for conduct and behaviour for this contract. If you would be so kind as to take a look, if you please.'

'Conduct?' I ask, taking the paper and lifting an eyebrow in query.

'Yes, my lord. Perhaps it would be more efficient for you to take a look than I to explain it.'

'Very well, then…'

I scan over the pages, and a wry grimace plays on my lips at the sheer density of the text. I haven't seen a document that used this much technical language since I enrolled at Wienner University. I imagine that the other guards were too wary to bring this up with Leonhard and Licht right from the get go. Yet from looking over the main points, I can see that it merely summarises the expected conduct from both parties. In short, this details the statuses and positions of our guards, and also the requirement that we comply with their directions if and when certain situations arise.

…In other words, I think that I'm going to need to get used to having this man at my shoulder twenty-four hours a day, quick smart.

After a quick wordless exchange as to whether I should keep the paper — I end up refolding it and slipping it into my pocket — I say, 'I see no problem with any of this. The only point I would make is that I often have to attend seminars and other events at Wienner University, and naturally, I will require you to accompany me to said events. But those are not terribly frequent in nature.' I gesture with a hand and a slight smile. 'In contrast with my brother Licht, who frequents at least ten different halls for nobles and seems to have something to attend to every day.'

He almost makes a reply in turn to my attempt to ingratiate myself with him. But he merely lowers his head in acknowledgement, and says, 'It will be no trouble, my lord.'

It seems that our work here is done. But not quite just yet.

I adjust my glasses with a finger, and cross one leg over the other. 'Herr…'

'Herr Ghetz, my lord.'

'Herr Ghetz. While I've complied with your wishes, with your test, as such — ' he flinches a little at my phrasing, ' — I would like to test you as well.'

'Test me?'

'Yes.'

While I will freely admit that my motives in 'testing' _Heine_ when he first came to the palace were born of nothing more than childish pride, this time it's a different story. It's not merely myself that I'm thinking about this time. When Leonhard suffered at the hands of one of our former tutors, I took it upon myself to ransack the palace archives and research all the royal tutors that came to the palace, to protect my brothers. This time, my motive is that I want to know if I can leave my brothers in these people's hands.

I've put him on edge, but just barely. He sits with one hand resting on his leg, watching me with those calm silver eyes. 'What do you wish to ask me, my lord?'

I mentally run through the papers he showed me and the questions I thought up earlier, then speak. 'It would only be natural to ask whereabouts you hail from, to start.'

And my heart drops from my chest to my waist and rolls into my boots — because I think he's _amused._ I'm completely shaken. His gaze is serious, however. 'I am afraid that in the sake of preserving political peace — which is no doubt your motive for asking me this — personal guards for royalty frequently cut ties to their countries of origin. While some of the other guards that have come to the palace do indeed actually hail from Glanzreich, I am afraid that I am not at liberty to tell you where I hail from, and I apologise for that.'

'N-No,' I say. I push my glasses up, my brain working overtime. I recall that Master once said something similiar to Leonhard. At the time, I couldn't imagine how frustrating it actually is to hear it in person. 'No, I understand that aspects of your work would be confidential. …If I may, could I inquire as to how you trained for active service?'

I could be mistaken, but I think that was the faintest flicker of a smile just now. I'm absolutely mortified. He probably thinks I'm _cute_ , or some other such thing.

'I will do my best to answer, my lord, but I'm afraid that I will be under constraints with this question also. Many people in the personal protection service are often ex-military members, so often enough, the training they receive is from their own country's military. After that they, then they often go into specialty fields. But the vast majority of that information is confidential also.'

'I-I see.' I'm so embarrassed that I think I might even blush. I thought I could wield this interview as I do any other exchange — by being cool, collected, and by doing my homework. Yet I realised, far too late, that I actually know nothing about the personal protection industry at all. I just assumed that I knew everything, but I'm a scholar, not a soldier. I may as well be a child in that regard.

'Forgive my forwardness, my lord,' Herr Ghetz says, 'but… I can understand that you wish to know more about those who are responsible for your family's safety. It is only to be expected. It _should_ be expected. So often people who take on bodyguards do so because they've just experienced something traumatic, something that required them to get protection. And I often find that the family members of those people, when they do have family, often worry more about the person than the person themselves.'

'Yes,' I say, with some reserve. '…I only wish for my brothers to be safe, and I wished to ascertain more evidence that they will be for myself. But as this is clearly an area outside of my field of expertise, I will leave off with asking questions. I've heard a sufficient amount.'

I almost wait for him to negate my claim, to say that I'm not so naive about this matter as I just inadvertently exposed myself to be. But while his expression is not unkind, he doesn't lie to try and make me feel better. It's good to know the truth, I suppose… but it still stings.

'As you wish,' he says.

I get up from my chair, and he does the same. 'If we have concluded here, then I will return to my work. I apologise, as your time spent in here may be rather dull, but…' I glance around at the walls of books, and attempt a smile. '…but there's no lack of reading material.'

He nods, smiling slightly in return, and takes a position at the wall.

I take a seat at my desk. I also have to take a moment to collect myself, because I can't even remember what I'm meant to be writing next. I take out a fresh ream of paper, and glance back.

The guard hasn't moved, and while he occasionally glances at the selection of books, he makes no move to take one from the shelves.

 _It's all right_ , I tell myself, but I still feel a pang nonetheless. Of uncertainty, of not knowing if I can even communicate with someone outside my normal sphere of acquaintance. _You were civil. Kind, even._

But I don't know if it was enough, if I did enough. If I'm enough.

Am I enough?

And it's in a distracted frame of mind that I begin my work for the day.

* * *

 **~ Kai ~**

I don't see him right away; I see the shadow he casts over the grass. I sit up in a hurry, yet I can already see that it's Father's steward, accompanying… a man whom I've never seen before. Jakob leaves him here with a slightly guilty smile in my direction, before running back off to the palace.

Adele glances up from braiding ribbons into Shadow's fur. 'Kai? Who's that?'

I get to my feet. 'It's fine, Adele.' I smile over my shoulder at her. '…It's just a new guard for us, that's all.'

She eyes the man approaching curiously. 'Like Maximillian and Ludwig? But then why isn't he wearing a red uniform?'

'He's… a special type of guard. Remember some of the things that… happened recently?'

'Like when someone blew up Daddy's office?' Her nose wrinkles. 'Professor Heine and I got plaster dust in our hair. It was yucky.'

I can't help but smile at her innocent expression. 'Yes, like that. He's a special type of guard who is going to protect us all from that kind of thing happening again.'

'So that I won't get plaster dust in my hair again?'

'Yes, and so that no one blows up Father's office again, too.'

She props her chin in her hands and eyes the guard — who is almost upon us — critically. 'Hm…'

I dust off my trousers and pull my jacket on properly, fastening a couple of my shirt buttons, and I run a hand through my hair in an attempt to tame it. My heart's skittering a little.

I can't help but remember all the people who I've scared away over the years — people who I've scared away with my sharp eyes and sharp tongue, when really I just have sharp eyes that I can't help. And I struggle to speak when I'm scared that my face will scare them away. It's a vicious cycle that I've had to take great pains to break. I'm overcoming it little by little, yet…

I've only recently befriended the palace staff. While I know that I won't always be able to click with everyone, I still want to make this work, as fast as possible. That way I can do my bit to help Professor Heine.

I clear my throat, and the guard draws to a halt before me. He's… oh. He's slightly shorter than I am. I hesitate, then say, 'I'm…'

But he sees my eyes and I see him step back, ever so slightly, too self-controlled to wince but tempted to all the same.

It hurts. I know it shouldn't, but it does. I swallow and quickly smile, trying to win him over. 'I'm Prince Kai. It's… nice to meet you.'

He relaxes, just a fraction. 'A pleasure, Prince. I look forward to working with you.' He's no longer on edge, but I know he's still wary of me. And I can't help it — I'm so frustrated with myself. It was unrealistic to expect this to go off without a hitch, but I still wanted it to.

I guess I'll just need to work through it like always, a little bit at a time.

'And this is my little sister,' I say, resting a hand on Adele's head as she pads over and clings to my leg.

She curteys prettily, and he would be hard-pressed to be immune to her charms, just like everyone else in the palace. 'I'm Princess Adele!' she says. As always, she's simply too adorable.

But she keeps talking.'Hey, mister,' she says. 'Do you prefer cats or dogs?'

He blinks. 'Pardon?'

'What do you like to do?' she says with a smile.

Oh dear. _Oh dear_ , I fret. I don't know whether to clap a hand over her mouth or try and apologise to him, or…

'What's your least favourite food?'

'Adele — '

'Ooh — do you have a _girlfriend_?'

I lightly cover her mouth with my hand and hush her, while trying to apologise to him at the same time. 'I-I'm sorry — Adele, hush, please…'

'Huh?' She pulls my hand away. 'But why?'

'…Because he's trying to work…'

She looks at him. 'But the guards just stand around and watch us all day, so why can't we talk? He's probably bored!'

I think 'irritated' might be a better word.

He bows stiffly. 'Princess. To answer your queries: I prefer cats to dogs; I am usually too preoccupied with my work for leisure; my least favourite food is spinach, and I regret to inform you that I currently do not have a girlfriend. Does that satisfy you?'

She shrugs. 'I guess?'

I sit on the grass and tug Adele down to my side. 'Let's give him some space, Adele. You can chat with him once he's settled in.' I give him a quick glance of apology over Adele's head, and he dismisses it with a wave that says, _it's fine_.

Adele and I sit in silence, while our guard stands at a distance.

'Well — this is awkward, isn't it?' Adele chirps.

I wince. And I see the guard nod in the slightest hint of agreement before looking to the heavens, no doubt praying for patience.

I flop onto the grass and cover my eyes with my elbow. _This is going to take some getting used to, I think…_

 **~ Eins ~**

* * *

'My lord?'

I look up from a desk full of papers and take a much-needed drag from my silver tobacco pipe. D_ Venetia and d_ their border security and _d__ whoever put sorting _that_ out in my jurisdiction.

'Count Rosenberg?'

Rosenberg opens the door and steps in. The look on his face tells me that it's going to be a _long_ day. 'I have here the _new personal guard_ that His Majesty hired for you?' His smile is so forced that he might pull a muscle in his face if he's not careful.

We exchange grimaces. 'At least His Majesty is paying for it,' I mutter. Rosenberg rolls his eyes and nods, then lets the man behind him step into the room.

Tall, intelligent-looking, well-dressed, and I've seen Ernst wearing holsters beneath his clothes often enough to pick out the lines of them beneath the man's jacket, however faint.

I rest my elbows on my desk and press my fingertips together. 'Herr Schutz.' _Yes, I already know your name_. 'I trust you had safe travels from Weisburg Palace?'

He walks forward and drops to one knee in a bow. 'I did, Your Highness. It is an honour.'

I leave him bowing for a moment, and take the piece of paper that Ernst crosses the room to give to me. I glance it over. All the usual fine print and contract jargon and bits and pieces that go with legal contracts. I let it fall to the desk. 'I'll review this in more detail later. For now, welcome to Schwarz. My steward will situate you in your room later when he has the time. For now, if you'll excuse us.'

He blinks.

I have to mask a wry smile. I'm not altogether unfamiliar with bodyguarding work, especially after having to dig into potential options for myself during the Venetian affair, which due to short notice ended in hiring Rosenberg as my bodyguard. So, naturally, I'm a bit more well-adjusted to this. No doubt my younger brothers were thrown into a tizzy when their guards arrived to tip their royal little worlds upside down. They likely didn't even realise that they would be within their rights to ask for privacy or to order for their guards to stand out in the hall, and as such, the younger princes are probably driving themselves absolutely mad.

The guard lifts an eyebrow, and I nod. 'You may excuse yourself. I'm not some inexperienced client that actually expects their guard to breathe the same air as them twenty-four hours a day. I would prefer some personal space, and I'm sure you would as well. I have business to discuss with my steward. You may go.' I take another drag from my pipe and exhale, the smoke wreathing from my lips. And it just so happens that the draft from the open window at my back blows the smoke into the man's face. Dear me, what a shame.

He nods, and looks equal parts relieved that I'm not going to be high-maintenance and equal parts unimpressed by my demeanour. 'As you wish, my lord.'

And he bows, and takes his leave. Rosenberg pushes the door shut behind him, before sliding down it and sitting on the floor with a sigh.

I drag an ashtray over and dump the ashes of my pipe into it, before cleaning the pipe and repacking it.

Ernst stalks over and takes a seat on my desk. He's already reading over the bodyguard contract in annoyance. 'Well, that was mature, my lord. And ease off on the smoke. That's your third pipe today.'

'You would have done the same thing. On both counts.'

'True.' Ernst sighs, and rubs the back of his neck. 'And on that note …I thought _I_ was your bodyguard.'

'You know full well that my father has hired guards for all of us, and you were the one who fielded his telegrams about it.'

'True again. I'm just bringing it up now to be a nuisance.'

'D_ you.'

'Charmed, my lord.' Ernst glances over the contract again. 'As you said, at least he's paying for it.'

'…Mm.' Despite my usual irritation with my father, I can't help but feel a faint pang of guilt. He beat himself up so badly for not seeing that I could have been put in danger by the mess that his family was involved in. He likely sees this as his way of making it up to me.

But I'm not an idiot. After seeing Herr Wittgenstein get injured in the line of fire while defending my brothers, I know my father didn't hire new guards just to protect them, or me. He did it to give Herr Wittgenstein no opportunity to resume active service, to protect him so that he could recover properly and not have to put himself in danger again, possibly taking the chance to do so off the table forever. A feeling still nags at me, however, fed by fragments of things I overheard during the Venetian incident. Of seeing my father and Herr Wittgenstein working together in a way that makes me wonder if there's something I've missed.

That aside, I can't deny that I wondered how it would feel. When we were fighting mercenaries in Schwarz Palace, when Ernst and I were in the streets of Wienner fighting back to back with a gun in his hand and a sword in mine, when we were seizing the S.S. Froide at the harbour… I wondered how it would feel to see Ernst get hurt the way that Herr Wittgenstein did. To see Ernst with a bullet hole in his chest, spilling blood onto those perfectly-tailored suits he always wears. To see that porcelain-white skin of his bruised and broken for my sake.

I glance over at him. '…Well, there's no need for you to put yourself out now, not now that we have a professional guard. It's not even your place to protect me.' He stiffens at my cold words, narrowing his eyes while trying to work out what I'm playing at. I toy with my pipe. '…But if you're bored, then by all means feel free to show off and continue wearing those ridiculous Fonseinian holsters you're always playing around with.'

He smirks at me. 'My, one would wonder if you were trying to soothe my wounded pride.' I stiffen in turn, but he says, 'Rest assured, I don't care either way. But I see no harm in making myself useful. All high stewards should have widely varied skill sets, no?'

'Do what you want,' I grumble, propping my head in my hand and sifting through more paperwork.

'I will, as usual. Still, thank you.' He tips his head at me and smiles. 'It's nice to know you actually give a d_ for once. It's sweet.'

He officially just took it too far, and I snap at him. 'I have previously told you _multiple times_ that if you talk in such a ridiculous manner that I would _slap_ you, did I not?'

Ernst presses a hand to his heart and exhales dramatically. 'My word, I'm so scared.' He gives me a look. 'Not.'

He springs off the desk before I can catch him, and waltzes backward out of my reach. 'So we're going to tolerate this… fellow, for the time being?'

'Yes.' I flick through another pile of papers. 'Personally, I think Father's overreacting. He's doing this to give Herr Wittgenstein ease of mind and ease the burden of the princes' safety on him. But I can't deny that he still has a valid point, especially with the centennial celebrations coming up. And if his fretting saves us having to hire personal protection ourselves, then I'll take full advantage of it.'

Rosenberg looks at me. '…You're aware that this man could be reporting back to His Majesty?'

'Fully aware.' Our gazes meet. 'And that's why we're not going to give him anything to talk about. Nothing. _Especially you_ , understood?'

Rosenberg smirks, and I see that dangerousness in him that prompted me to make him my guard in the first place. 'You wound me, Prince. Since when do I ever get _caught_?'

I smirk back, just slightly. And he departs and I get back to work, wondering how long until the wheels fall off this whole 'bodyguard' notion.

Because knowing my brothers, they undoubtedly, inevitably, will.

 **~ Heine ~**

* * *

Today has just been sheer bliss.

I glance over at the setting sun, and chuckle. I have my doubts that the princes would describe _their_ day as bliss, but mine was certainly enjoyable nonetheless. A day of respite, of literally not having to think about… anything.

Instead of having to fret over the boys' safety, I could sit back and let someone else take care of it. I was able to catch up on my sleep, read a couple of books, and was even able to make a start on planning next week's lessons because I felt like it, not merely because I had to.

But still. A little tiny corner of me still wondered every now and then how the princes were getting on with their new guards, and I'll look forward to hearing how they fared when they come and visit shortly.

Almost as though on cue. Leonhard bursts into the room and drops into a chair, gasping and wheezing for breath. '…Hi, Heine.'

'Prince? Are you quite all ri —

'For goodness' sake!' Licht yells, striding in and throwing himself down in a chair also. 'Phew!'

Bruno steps into the room, and Kai follows shortly after, and they both take a seat. They all look as though they'd just run a marathon.

'…How did it… go?' I ask.

Leonhard wipes sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, and glares daggers at the carpet. '…He can almost keep up with my sprint. Almost.'

Licht sits up a little and shakes his head in a what-can-you-do fashion, with a smile. 'Well, I think mine finds me to be a scandalous prat of the worst sort and my lady friends are driving him up the wall and onto the ceiling, so we've hit it off wonderfully!'

Bruno adjusts his glasses. He looks almost as ragged as Leonhard. 'It was… certainly an informative experience. An adjustment to be sure — _but I will learn from it!_ ' he declares, before sagging into his chair again. '…Challenging, yes, but certainly the least I can do.'

Kai glances out the door, raises his eyebrows, then sits back in his chair again. '…I managed to talk to him? Just?'

And they all take a moment to catch their breath.

'…I…' I sit up a little and look at each of them. 'I can take this to mean that your first encounters, though challenging, went fairly well?'

They glance at each other. 'Oh, _Teach_ ,' Licht says. 'You know what we're like — anything short of burning the palace down can be called a triumphant success!'

'Licht!' Bruno scolds. 'It was not as much of an ordeal as you're making it out to be!'

'Well, your ragged panting is doing nothing to — '

'I'm glad.' I smile, taking them by surprise. 'I'm glad. Thank you for trying. I'm just relieved to be able to know that you're safe… without my being there to guard you. It's somewhat hard to turn those instincts off, but I think I'm improving on it, little by little.'

This gets a smile out of all of them in return. 'W-Well, you know,' Leonhard says. 'I don't know if we'll even last the week, but…' He grins. 'If it's helping you get better then that makes it easy.'

'Heh. Thank you.' I pause. '…Boys, you do know that you can speak up and tell me or your father if something isn't working, don't you?'

The princes' expressions become as still as glass.

I can't tell if they're hiding something or merely being defensive, so I press further. 'You're improving on your habits of booting out tutors and other unwanted visitors alike — '

'Hey!'

' — I'll need a more sufficient counter-arguement than that. But still, even when putting yourself out to make a difficult situation work, you can always draw a line if you find yourself being put upon. Like how you kicked out so many tutors from the palace, yet one or two circumstances actually called for it. Do you understand?'

'Please don't worry, Master,' Bruno says. 'It is no great inconvenience, and we're more than happy to do our part to take a load of your shoulders.'

'Tis a far cry from the reception they gave me when I first came to the palace. I'm proud of them, and grateful. 'Thank you for your care. I appreciate it.'

So while I watch them laughing and chatting and teasing each other about the day's events, I'm smiling too… but on the inside I'm bracing for the storm that's gathering on the distant horizon.

I think it's going to be too much to ask for to forgo at least a _little_ drama in the near future. Especially given that it's _these_ princes and _their_ track record.

It's just a question of when and where and how dramatically this is going to go down…

 _To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

**~ Eins ~**

Never did I think I would ever have to flee for refuge in my own palace.

Ernst and I sprint down the halls faster than we have in years, yet we can still find the breath to argue even while running.

'I am tiring of this and I am tiring of it _now_.'

'I was tired of it before it _started_ ,' Ernst grumbles. He winces and slows his pace. 'My word, I think I'm going to get a stitch.'

'You've got the papers?'

'What the h_ do you think I was doing all day?!'

'Never mind, just — ' I skid to a halt, seeing our guard come around the corner, '— oh _d_it_.' We backtrack and sprint in the other direction, taking a hard right through a golden door and slamming it shut behind us.

Correction — never did I think I would ever have to flee to my own palace's _washrooms_ for refuge.

Yet even this countermeasure isn't enough — as my guard may well follow us into the room if he wished — so the two of us step into a gilded stall and bolt and lock the door. Neither Ernst nor I could be described as 'small,' and it's a tight fit for the both of us. We hold our breath and listen, our two different colognes mingling in the dark.

'Well,' I mutter. 'This brings back happy memories.'

Ernst laughs. 'Of boring dinner parties that we bailed out of?'

'I was thinking of the times that we had to ditch all those starry-eyed royalty fanboys at military academy… but that too.'

Ernst slides to the floor and catches his breath. His ruby eyes glow in the dark, warm and luminous. He takes a sheaf of papers from the depths of his jacket. 'Here you are. As requested.'

I take them and look them over. Then dump them in the toilet and pull the chain, flushing the entire lot down the palace sewer system.

Ernst gives me an unimpressed look.

'Ernst, please don't tell me — '

'Yes. That was the collective result of me actually trying.'

I kick the lid down and take a seat, positively fuming over this state of affairs. 'You couldn't find one single useful _thing_ on him?'

Ernst sighs and tries to make himself more comfortable. As best as one can on cold tiles and with a door full of metal ornamentation digging into one's back. 'No. And believe me, I slaved over it all week.'

'Gh — ' I sigh as well. 'It's only to be expected. I'd be firing the man if I discovered that he can't even keep his tracks covered.'

'So you had me work myself to the bone knowing we wouldn't even get a decent result — '

'You knew it full well too.'

'…Yes.'

While my having a guard is no doubt not the same problem that my brothers are having, it's still a thorn in my side nonetheless. I cross my arms and tap my foot, restlessly. The whole point of having moved out of Weisburg Palace and into Schwarz was that I could run my own household and keep the rest of my family out of my personal affairs. While I don't know if Father has arranged for my guard to report back to him or not, the last thing I need is to have to deal with it. And this situation is cramping Ernst's style as well, albeit for better or worse.

'…Well. This has officially become tiresome.'

'You don't say,' Ernst mutters.

'At least we won't have to worry about it for much longer.'

'Why do you say that?'

'Because the _ is going to hit the chandelier at Weisburg sooner or later.'

Ernst rests his arms on his knees, and leans back against the door. 'Oh?'

I sigh. 'Even if my brothers weren't such basketcases, this kind of situation inevitably blows up if they're involved. By giving them guards, Father merely dropped another safeguard in place — and like last time, it was too sudden. Herr Wittgenstein may at least be taken care of, but that doesn't mean that shoving my younger brothers into an unfamiliar situation immediately off the back of the Venetian incident is going to work. It's far too impromptu and there _will_ be sparks.'

'And with this week just past and the week before and the week from hell on top of that, that will all have been one long chain of friction,' Ernst muses. 'And now were just waiting for something to light the fuse.'

'Correct. We likely won't even need to do anything ourselves before these guards are pulled.'

Ernst leans his head against the door. '…I've always wondered what it would take to bring those princes down. I'll be interested to see how this thing plays out.'

I watch him out of the corner of my eye. '…I don't want to hear that kind of talk from you.'

'Hear what, my lord?'

'Good. Don't let it happen again.'

Ernst glances at me. 'Which do you think will be the first to crack?'

I consider for a moment, before steepling my fingers together. 'I don't know. Frankly… I'm wondering which one is going to break the worst…'

* * *

 **~ Bruno ~**

This is not going well. By not going well — I mean that my guard is inadvertently scaring off everyone in a hundred-yard radius, and it's somewhat hard to converse with your fellow students and lecturers if they're on the other side of the quadrangle.

I sigh and turn off the taps in one of the university washrooms. I run over the main points of the lecture that I'm due to give in mere moments. '"But yet the most important points, in developing a nation that places equal value on the monarchy and democracy, include tolerance, open-mindedness, and…' I can't help it — I look in the dimly lit mirror and give my reflection a wry grimace. '…and personal space.'

It's certainly not my guard's fault, by any means. But if Smerdyakov's presence sometimes scares people away from approaching Dr Dymitri, this would be _ten_ times worse than that. I adjust the cameo pin at my collar. Trying to shift it so it feels less like it's going to cut off my air supply.

I pass my guard on the way out and pause at his side for the moment. 'How should we do this? Do you wish to wait in the wings while I'm on the stage?'

Herr Ghetz nods. 'As you wish.' He tilts his head. 'Forgive me for saying so, my lord… but you look… frustrated.'

'It's nothing.' I run my hands through my hair, then realise I've likely messed it up rather than smoothing it. 'Oh, bother…'

I realise hat he seems to be waiting for me to say something more. As though he's waiting for an inevitable blow.

I nearly nearly trip over myself in my haste to clarify. 'I-It's not your fault! I know it…' I break off to gesture at a random cluster of students that we scared stiff earlier on our way down the corridor, '…is necessary, it's just… difficult.'

'Don't apologise, my lord. If anything, I would almost expect you to be displeased.'

'Pardon? Why?' _…Does he think that ill of me?_

I only say this from working with many young nobles prior to serving under your family.' His expression remains neutral, but there's a hint of wryness in his tone. 'The moment that my presence would become inconvenient, they did their utmost to kick me out, and then took out their frustrations on me or anyone else they could if they could not shift me or their parents.' He raises an eyebrow and smiles slightly.

I smile in return. 'Sounds like a challenge.'

'You have no idea, my lord. I well and truly consider this particular job a privilege by comparison — '

'Bruno!'

Herr Ghetz and I whirl around to see Dr. Dymitri and Smerdyakov jogging down the corridor.

Dr. Dymitri barges right past Herr Ghetz, saying, 'Well, I see you decided to show your face again! And you're still alive, what a bonus!'

'Dr. Dymitri — _oof!_ '

I'm barely able to wave and indicate to Ghetz that he doesn't need to come to my rescue before Dr. Dymitri claps a hand on my shoulder. How such a small man can nearly knock me over so easily is beyond me.

'A pleasure to see you again, Doctor — '

Dymitri grimaces and waves it away. 'None of that. You sound as stiff as a starched Smerdyakov before giving a lecture, and Lord knows that's intolerable enough.'

I choke back a grin and say, 'As you wish.'

Herr Ghetz is already looking Smerdyakov up and down, and the latter looks right back, unimpressed. 'Charming company you keep, Prince,' Smerdyakov deadpans.

I distengangle myself from Dymitri and introduce my guard to Smerdyakov. 'My apologies. Smerdyakov, this is my new personal guard, Herr Ghetz.' I gesture to Smerdyakov with one hand. 'Smerdyakov is Dr. Dymitri's student. He also helped my brothers and I recently with recent… affairs.'

Herr Ghetz raises an eyebrow. 'Are you military?'

Smerdyakov rakes a hand through his hair and shrugs. 'I've been told I give that impression. I'm merely a scholar.'

'And a bodyguard,' I add.

'And an excellent cook,' Dymitri adds.

'Are you trying to write me a d_ resume?' Smerdyakov grumbles. 'Focus on your own writing, you two.'

'Anyway, Bruno.' Dymitri flicks a hand in my guard's direction and asks, 'So, what — you literally have this hired gun at your shoulder wherever you go?'

'Wh— Well, yes,' I stammer. 'My father said we needed to up our security at the palace, at least until we're certain the whole… affair from the other week is really over.'

Dymitri considers for a moment. 'I suppose. But you've got to know that it's not subtle, right?'

I blink. 'Pardon?'

'I can't imagine that you haven't noticed the havoc you've wreaked around the campus.' He steps aside slightly, and I note a couple of skittish students avoiding us. 'Not that it can be avoided, but, well… What happened to your little tutor? Wasn't he your babysitter, so to speak?'

'Oh… Master — I mean, Professor, no, wait…' I give them an embarrassed smile and say, 'Herr Wittgenstein has finished his work as our guard now that the… um…' I can't recall what level of clearance was decided for all of that, so I just say, '…Now that the Venetian incident is over.'

Smerdyakov sighs and says, 'Wittgenstein nearly snapped his leg in two, Doctor. Amongst other things. No more pinwheeling around Glanzreich and dragging the princes out of trouble by the scruffs of their necks for him. You weren't at the harbour, but I filled you in afterwards, didn't I?'

'He dislocated his hip and nearly broke his pelvic bones,' I correct.

'Well, d_. I didn't realise you were a medical student.'

'I'm not, I just read everything I come across.' Technically I came across the Prunksäl's medical section after expressly searching it out to research Professor Heine's injuries, but that's beside the point.

Dymitri's eyes finally light with recognition, and he snaps his fingers. 'Ah, of course. We sent him flowers, didn't we?'

' _I_ did — you had your head in a d_ thesis and wouldn't have even noticed if a headless horseman rode down the street.'

Dymitri shrugs. 'Well, that explains why I can hardly remember a thing about it. Anyways, it's a shame that using Herr Wittgenstein is no longer an option for you, because compared to this hulking brute, that cute little thing was like a joker card — you could do anything with him.'

'D-Dr. Dymitri!' I hiss.

'What? It was a compliment! No offense, old chap,' he says to Herr Ghetz.

I bit the gloved tip of my thumb, deep in thought. I never realised it at the time, but since Professor Heine is the royal tutor and looks like a child, no one would have even given him a second glance. He would have had complete maneuverability to do whatever he wanted — where as our guards actually look like what they are — guards — and therefore are _far_ more noticeable.

'It…' I look down the hall at the students milling about. 'Surely it hasn't been that bad…'

'You're right, it hasn't.' Smerdyakov rubs the back of his neck, and clarifies. 'But it's going to become more obvious for you than your brothers, given how much public exposure you get.' He draws a circle with his finger. 'It's simple. Your guard scares people off, they start talking, they paint you as being suspicious of them, they become suspicious in return, and it all goes to h_. People love to jump to conclusions. And people love intrigue, whether courtly or otherwise.'

'We can talk because Orosz can sometimes be…' Dymitri and Smerdyakov exchange a glance. '…somewhat politically unstable,' Dymitri finally explains with a sigh. 'Having a personal guard — similar to the setup that Smerdyakov and I have on occasion— is almost like a having a spotlight. Or painting yourself as a target.'

'I-I see.' I'll confess that I certainly didn't give it much thought. I should have expected it, however, with what Kai and I have suffered at the hands of public opinion in the past. 'But surely many royals have personal guards, don't they?'

'We're hardly royalty, Prince,' Dymitri jokes. 'But to answer your question: You're not incorrect. Many royals have personal guards… but the matter is somewhat unprecedented in Glanzreich, no?' I nod, and he says, 'Like anything else, it will be impossible for your father to install it as an established practice without making some waves. Especially given how… sudden it seems to be. And other countries will definitely take notice if it doesn't go according to — '

'Prince Bruno? Stage left in five!'

I grasp Dr. Dymitri's hand and nod at Smerdyakov, before pulling my guard down the hall. 'I'm sorry, we have to go — but could we discuss this in more depth later, perhaps?'

Dymitri waves me off with a smile. 'Of course! Good luck.'

I find myself on the stage, and it's like I'm running on two separate tracks at once — delivering my speech on one hand and compartmentalising the Pandora's Box that just exploded open on the other.

I know that what Dymitri and Smerdyakov are saying is right; they have personal experience and they would most assuredly know. And I also know what the power of free speech on Glanzreich can do. If twisted in the right — or wrong — way, any matter, however small, could paint our family in a negative light. If we're not able to be discreet, people will draw their own conclusions. If people think that Father is taking such heavy military action to the point where he can't even trust us unattended around others — whether they be from Glanzreich or other nations — then it could open up an entire argument about what could be painted as a lack of trust.

Why do things always have to be so terribly difficult?

I close my speech to applause that I don't feel I quite earned. I didn't mess it up horribly, but my delivery was a little stilted. I take my leave via the wings and my guard falls into step behind me. The two of us make our way out onto the marble porches that the lecturers and students often wash up in after a lecture.

'That was wonderful, Prince Bruno!'

'You haven't forgotten your promise to speak at my university have you, Prince?'

For a moment, I'm able to forget about all the grey clouds hanging over my head, and I'm able to smile and share words with some of the other lecturers.

It certainly doesn't last long. I realise, too late, that my guard and I were separated. Just slightly, but enough that he has to whisper, 'Excuse me,' and attempt to return to my side. But the girl that he happens to be edging past takes one look up at the tall, imposing gentleman at her side and jumps, muffling a yelp behind her gloved hand.

Everyone instantly springs away and clears a path. Herr Ghetz mutters a mortified apology, and steps to my side once more.

Dr. Dymitri raises an eybrow. Smerdyakov drops his head in his hand. It's all I can do to not do the same.

'Forgive me, my lord,' Ghetz says.

'No.' I try to mask the mortified blush on my cheeks, trying to distract everyone by attending to their words and conversation as though nothing happened.

I can barely get people here to treat me like a scholar — they're too busy treating me like a prince. But with this, it's going to be all I can do to get everyone not to hate me for being an inconvenience. And that's just my personal concerns — what if this reflected badly on the royal family?

I snatch another chance to speak to Herr Ghetz between sentences. 'It's not your fault. But we've got to do something about this because this just simply isn't working, for either of us.'

And it's not working for the students, or the lecturers, or the people on the street who are observing the fuss and whispering behind their hands.

My heart starts hammering, yet there's nothing I can do about this. I don't even know if this will die down and resolve itself over time or not. What if it doesn't?

…As much as I want to do my part to help Heine, this isn't working — for my brothers, or anyone else involved. And… Heine, but this, and… I can't reconcile the two.

 _Speaking one's thoughts to others can help clear one's mind, even if you have to still solve the trouble on your own._

Master, I… I'm sorry.

Forgive me, but I can't keep quiet about this any longer.

* * *

 **~ Licht ~**

I really should have thought of this. I'm so used to Heine taking me to my shifts at the cafe that it didn't even occur to me what was obviously going to happen now.

I sag over the silver tray I'm polishing, prompting one of the other waitresses to raise an alarmed enquiry as to whether I'm all right, only for the other waiter to snark back that, 'Rich is never all right and ain't been all right since day one.'

In short — my bodyguard had to accompany me to Cafe Mitter Meyer for my shift this week. And when he found out that I was working at a cafe in secret, he was… disapproving. To say the least. Or mildly disgusted — whatever works.

'Rich.' Felix taps me on the forehead. I blink and come back to my senses. 'Hailing Herr Rich.' He takes the tray off me and searches my eyes. 'The coffee's getting cold.'

I blink, then look over to see a waiting tray with one einspänner and one melange on the counter. I take it in a fluster of apologies. I'm feeling too off my game to even try and pretend that I wasn't embarrassed. 'Sorry, Master…'

It's another usual busy day at the cafe. For the most part, my guard has been sitting out of the way at a table, as a customer, with a cup of coffee that he hasn't drunk and a newspaper that he isn't reading. It's not terrible, I guess, but… He keeps looking like he's going to spring out of his chair at the stupidest things. One of the waitresses stands too close to me as we're washing the dishes? We have a problem. Another fight at the billiards table, which I have to mediate? We have a problem. Felix pats me on the shoulder? Captain, we have all the problems. I swear I thought the man was going to pull out a pistol and shoot Felix or something — it was absurd.

'Hey, Rich.' Felix tilts my head up to his, making me look at him. 'It's all right, you know? You only had all that family drama just this month. Not to mention you've been ill. I'm not expecting you to be your usual self; I'm just checking that you're all right. Yes?'

I feel a little better, and it doesn't take too much effort to smile. 'I'm fine. And thank you. I'm just a little distracted.'

It's true that I was recently ill from the after-effects of poisoning, but as I felt reasonably well when I was due for my next shift, I insisted on returning to work regardless. Herr Felix did me a massive favour in helping me get to the harbor when Father was kidnapped, and the least I can do in return is pull my weight and make up my shifts.

Felix nods and pushes me in the direction of my table. 'Mildly distracted I can do. Putting salt in the coffee I cannot, so as long as you can keep it together — '

'Yeah, yeah, chill out,' I chide. I waltz backwards with my tray and shrug, settling back into my normal rhythm. 'This is why you're still single, Master; women don't like fussy guys!'

'And while I'm happy to see that you're back to _normal_ , I don't like your tone!' Yet he gives me a grin, and I return to scanning the room for the table that this einspänner is meant to be going to.

I barely deposit it at the table of a customer and her son and turn to see where the last drink on the tray is going before the door bell chimes. 'Oh, Richie!' I turn around to see my usual group of fangirls rush in the door with delighted squeals. 'You're back! We didn't see you last week, we were heartbroken!'

'Aww, really? Well, my angels — I'll just have to make up for it!' And as much as they're just another few from my pool of favourite ladies around town, I can't help but grin. It's nice to have someone have missed you when you were gone… even if it was just for your blond hair and bright smile and ability to perform table service without spilling coffee all over a girl's dress.

They're nearly upon me, then I see my guard out of the corner of my eye. I freeze. He obviously can't hear what the girls are saying, and he's half out of his chair, alarmed, and he obviously decides that he can't risk waiting to see what's going to happen because he's out of his chair and about to come over here and pull these girls up short by their elaborate hairdos.

I panic. Full-blown panic. Lord help us, we're about to have a scene —

But not the kind that I expected; I pulled up short so quickly that I jarred my tray, and the last cup of burning hot coffee spills all over my uniform. The girls jump back with a shriek, in a flurried attempt to avoid any splatter.

'Rich!' Felix rushes over and I know customers are definitely staring at the impromptu drama. 'Are you all right?'

'Oh, I'm fine…' I pull one of the waitresses aside and hand off the girls to her section, before trying to soak up the worst of the coffee with a napkin. 'I… I was…' I don't want to make excuses, and I don't even know if I can force back this sudden pricking in my eyes. 'I'm sorry, I…'

 _What's wrong with me?_

Felix steps past me and points to the storeroom. 'Go get changed.'

It feels like a slap. 'I — '

He leans back and whispers in my ear, already dragging someone over to take my section. 'It's fine, Rich. I'm not angry with you. Not _impressed_ , however, but you need to change and if you need a minute, I don't want you to fall apart on the floor because you feel like you can't step away.' He gives me a gentle push. 'Go on.'

'Thank you,' I whisper, and do as he says. Charles — the other male waiter at Cafe Mitter Meyer — follows me into the storeroom with an unimpressed expression. I close the door behind us with a sigh. 'Sorry, Charles.'

He shrugs, taking a spare uniform from the shelf, and shoves it into my hands. 'Makes no difference to me. Felix just sent me off to find the uniform and check you weren't falling to bits.'

I lean against the wall and slide to the floor. '…Yeah. I'm fine.' I manage a weak chuckle. 'I guess I just had one h_ of a week.'

Yet my chest still aches, and for some stupid reason I still feel like I'm on the verge of tears. Maybe it's just… everything. I don't even feel like I've gotten my footing again, since everything that happened. It kind of feels like we haven't had the chance to let the d_ past just stay buried; we've been running around in every direction, constantly kicking up the dirt. I realised that it's not just me that's struggling, too. Leo's smile looks more forced with every day; Bruno looks more _frazzled_ with every day, and Kai has been looking more gloomy and sharp-eyed than ever. We're all feeling the strain, some more than others.

Everything's been piling up, constantly, until it feels like a weight on my shoulders and a pain in my chest, just waiting for the lightest tap to make everything shatter.

I strip off my jacket and shirt and waistcoat and start pulling on the new garments, somewhat clumsily. My fingers can't barely work the buttons, and I hiss under my breath, trying to knot my bowtie in a way that doesn't look like I was just strangled. 'For goodness' sake.'

Charles sighs and leans down, reaching to give me a hand. 'Klutz. They should be paying me overtime for babysitting you.'

I smirk up at him. 'You don't say — '

And the doors slam open. My guard sees two things: me on the floor with dishevelled clothing, and someone standing over me with his hands at my throat.

Charles is slammed against the wall and scraped up it and held there before he can even yell.

' _Stop it!_ ' I fly to my feet and try to pull the guard away. Mixing bowls and measuring spoons fall off the shelves in a horrific clatter of metal. I'm useless, I'm worse than useless and all I can see is Charles coughing and choking. 'Get _off_ him!'

The guard grits his teeth. He loosens his hold on Charles, but barely, and turns to look at me. 'Forgive me, my lord — but what else am I meant to think but that he's harrassing you or trying to kill you when I walk in on something like _that_?'

This whole situation is going to hell in a handbasket and I honestly think I'm about to have a heart attack. I snatch the guard's arm and yank him down to my level, my fingernails catchng on skin, sharp and furious. _Forcing_ him to listen. 'You put him down this d_ minute,' I hiss, 'or _I will ruin you_ , understand?'

What can I say? I've been spending too much time around Count Rosenberg.

The guard slowly lowers Charles until his feet are touching the floor —

And then Felix sprints in. He sees Charles up against the wall and my scratched-up guard on him and me trying to pull him off and says, 'Rich _, what in the name of…_ is going… on… the h_ is this?'

'Well put, Master,' Charles says sarcastically.

Felix steps in and slams the door behind him, drowing out the barely masked panic of the rest of the staff.

It never occured to me that Felix could be dangerous.

He stalks over. His lips are parted in a snarl, and his eyes are locked on my guard. He rests a hand on my shoulder and steps in front of me. 'In case you _missed it_ , sir, this area is off-limits to customers. And explain to me why the h_ you have one of my employees pinned against the wall or so help me I will toss you out on your d_ed a—'

' _Felix!_ '

He stops. Then blinks and turns to me.

And I realise I'm shaking and only just barely keeping it together. 'Wait, stop. He's with me. This is me. My fault. It's my fault, he… And I…'

Felix's anger is fading by the second, but he looks anything other than happy. Anything other than happy with me. And I can feel my heart crack a little.

'Rich? What do you mean?' Felix rests his hands on his hips. Two of his fingers tap in a rhythm, fast and quickly. 'I thought this man was a customer? And while I don't know what he did to get you to scratch him like that — ' He loses his cool and slams a hand against the wall. ' _I was going to take your side here!_ What is going _on_?'

It feels like he punched me. In the ribs. 'I-I-I'm sorry,' I stammer. And on seeing my guard, now that the red has faded from my vision, I see the faint scratches on his hand, on his neck. I feel awful. I didn't mean to scratch him. But no one would listen to me. Because I can't say anything, because I'm the youngest and no one ever listens to me, because I'm a prince, this is all happening because I'm a prince —

 _Because I'm a prince because I'm a prince because I'm a prince because I'm a prince —_

 _Stop it._ My lips quiver, and I bite them, trying to hold it together. 'I'm sorry,' I say to my guard. 'I'm sorry, Felix. I can explain.' I lick my lips, biting them so hard that I think they're bleeding. 'I can explain, I promise, please — '

'Rich, shut _up_.'

 _Shut up_.

Then Felix rests a hand on my head, tousling my hair. 'I don't know how many times I have to tell you. I'm not angry with you, all right? Okay, fine, I'm angry. Because I'm _worried_ about you. You're a member of my staff, and —'

'Don't forget me, Master,' Charles mutters.

'Yes, you too — both of you. It's my job to look out for you!' He throws up a hand in exasperation. 'And with whatever the h_ this is, I should be worried!' He gestures at me and Charles, and gives my guard a look. 'For good reason!'

I try and gather my wits. My hands are shaking. 'I can explain, Master.' And I can. Felix already thinks I'm the son of some noble; I know I can spin a story that sounds fairly similar to the truth.

'So explain, then.'

And I realise it's cold in here, and I look like I was just in a fight, and Charles is looking less than happy with me, and my guard is even less happy than that, and Felix is waiting, and…

I don't know if even _I_ can get myself out of this one.

* * *

 **~ Kai ~**

I've never found it so hard to speak before. I've always struggled with my words, with my soft voice, and with the difficulties that I have speaking to others. But being able to physically speak yet being unsure sure if I can voice aloud what I'm truly thinking, that's the most frustrating thingof all.

My brothers are all winding themselves up like strings about to snap. Father is too busy to even realise that his well-intentioned plans are falling apart, and Grandmother hasn't even gotten used to 'having all these men around' yet, so she has yet to discover what the rest of us already have.

That this isn't going particularly… well.

I walk down the halls with a shadow at my back, lost in thought.

After a couple of encounters with my guard, I haven't seen Helene often, either. I always come back to my rooms to find tea on the table and the bed freshly made, with no sign of the maid that did it. It's been a hassle at military academy, too. While the high security there and means I don't have to have my guard at my shoulder, it's not as though everyone there has a personal guard and some of the other students are more than a little wary, of him, and of me. Even Adele doesn't want to spend much time with me anymore. Not because of anything I did, but on some childish instinct she finds my guard to be an irritant, and she usually absconds to her rooms with Shadow each day, as the dog apparently dislikes my guard as much as she does.

It's not that we _dislike_ out guards. Well, Leo and Licht might. But after a conversation with Bruno in his room late last evening, I know that's not the case for he and I. It's merely that having these guards around is a… reminder. A reminder of all the painful events that Heine and my brothers and I went through. A reminder that it could happen again. And it was so sudden, we can't even get our bearings. It's like a jigsaw dumped out on a table, a mix of old and new pieces with the differing two scraping and scratching because they can't quite click.

While Bruno and I can see what Licht and Leonhard may not, that things should eventually settle down into a semblance of order… What if it doesn't? Are we just going to have to learn to live with it?

I see the door to my room up ahead, and —

My guard steps in front of me, barring my path. 'Forgive me, Prince, but stop.'

He leaves me and stalks ahead. I realise that the door to my room is open. But… why would…

It hits me and I sprint for my room

'Wait, no — !'

But it's too late and I hear a scream and breaking glass. I slam the door open and run in — to see my guard with Helene's hand above her head and a shattered vase on the floor.

' _GET OFF HER!_ '

My voice explodes from my chest and the force of it bruises my ribs. The guard drops her and steps well back, stunned. Helene backs away from him so fast that she bumps into me. I haven't used my voice like that in months.

'My lord — ' he says.

I look down at Helene's quivering shoulders, and realise that she's not wearing her maid's uniform. Come to think of it, it's the weekend. He must have seen a girl not in uniform and taken her for a stranger.

'She's one of the maids,' I say. My voice has a darker, dangerous undertone to it, and even Helene flinches a little.

'Y-Y-Yes,' Helene stammers. 'I'm so sorry, I was putting fresh f-flowers in the prince's room, because… I…'

I look down at her. It clicks. _Because she was too scared to come by my rooms while my guard was there._

The guard can't argue now. He drops to one knee, bowing his head. 'I apologise. I saw that the prince's door was open and thought that there had been a security breach. I beg your pardon, Fräulein.'

Helene manages a small nod.

The broken vase and flowers and water are still all over the carpet. I beckon to the guard with a finger, but the moment he nears, I point him to the door. 'If you could get a dustpan for Fraulein Helene.'

'O-Oh no, Prince Kai, I can — '

The guard stiffens slightly. 'Prince, I cannot leave you unattended — '

' _Go_.'

The guard stops. Then nods, accepting the punishment, and walks out the door like a clockwork doll.

I carefully sit Helene down on the couch. I drop to one knee at her side. 'I'm sorry, Helene…'

She shakes her head, and brushes stray drops of water from her sleeves. 'Oh no, Prince, truly. I merely got a fright, if nothing else.' She laughs in that endearing, nervous manner that she always has. 'I certainly wasn't expecting a handsome stranger to take my hand all of a sudden, but I do wish he'd been a little less energetic about it.' Her expression clouds. 'I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Prince Kai…'

'No, not at all. It's not your fault.'

She exhales. 'Thank you, Prince. Forgive me for being bold, but please don't be too hard on him. It wasn't his fault, either.'

'It was no one's fault.'

'Pardon?'

'It was no one's fault,' I repeat, realising what the words actually mean. 'It's no one's fault, we're all just… trying.'

We sit in silence for a moment.

Then I stand, trying to steady my breathing, trying to get my thoughts in order for what I know I have to do next.

'Prince Kai?'

'I… I need to go.' I walk to the door, finally knowing what I need to do after a week of not knowing a thing.

 _In some instances, some people's personalities may not agree with yours. But there are thousands upon thousands of people with whom you must be compatible. To give up now would be a waste, no?_

We tried. We all did. We all tried as hard as we could for Professor Heine's sake.

 _But still, even when putting yourself out to make a difficult situation work, you can always draw a line if you find yourself being put upon._

Yet I can feel it, sense it — I _know_ that we can't just let things stay like this, we ourselves have to do our part and keep up with the changes that are happening in the palace. And someone has to do something, before something worse happens.

I stop in the doorway and look back at Helene. 'I'm going to talk to Professor Heine.'

Her eyes widen. 'But about what?'

'This. All of this.'

We have to draw a line and we have to draw it _now_.

* * *

 **~ Leonhard ~**

I think I'm going to break. No, I know I am.

I'm sitting in my room, sick and tired of having to pass my guard each time I want to leave. It's cold and lonely in here, and a stack of diaries has piled up on my table over the past week.

I've been trying. I've kept my mouth shut. I've sat still. I've gotten through my lessons, though not without difficulty due to poor concentration. I haven't even run off. At least not more times than I can help.

I get up and pace the room.

But every glance and word and movement in my blindspots and I can't _take it anymore_ —

I rest my forehead against the glass of the window and exhale. _Stop it. You're being ridiculous. Calm down and get a hold of yourself._

I don't know why I'm so restless… There's truly nothing that's actually upsetting me. It's not as though my guard has been a problem for any reason.

But having someone at my back every day, all the time… At breakfast and lessons and other times where my brothers and I are together, I'll look around and wonder if any of them feel the same way that I do. But they all look fine. They'll laugh at me if I speak up. And I can't go to Father, and I _can't_ go to Heine. I want to help him, and I'll hate myself if I have to give up and burden him with my own inability to even cope. Because it's my fault, somehow. My own stupid fault. It always is.

…I get lonely easily, much more easily than I would care to admit. But now that I can't even have one moment alone… I think I'm going to suffocate. And it's a reminder to have this guard here: a reminder of everything that happened and it all still feels like… I stop, and consider.

I think that… It's not our guards that are driving us crazy. It's that on top of _everything else._

I exhale, then firmly slap myself. The stinging pain clears my head. If that's the case, then I just have to keep a cool head until everything blows over. At least I know what's driving me up the wall now, so I can just put it to the back of my mind and focus on not having a meltdown.

 _Okay, good. You've got this._ I smile.

A movement down on the driveway catches my eye, and I lift the window up with a crash to look. It's Bruno, shadowed by his guard and dressed in the green velvet suit that he always wears to the university. I wave, but he won't hear me from here. On a whim, I decide to run down to meet him. It's been a while since we last talked and I could do with a breath of fresh air. I sprint for the door, already wondering how I can get down there the fastest. It feels good to be using my legs for a change. My guard probably won't like this, but it's just in the palace and he'll catch up quickly enough —

I fly out the door and a hand clamps down on my arm.

I'm frozen.

He looks just as startled as I. 'Prince — '

My heart starts to tick in overtime. My heartbeat feels painful in my chest, and all I can feel is his hand on my arm. 'Let go.'

'Forgive me, Prince, it was a reflex — '

And everything explodes into a barrage of sepia.

 _It's a simple question! Why can't you —_

 _I wish I could have —_

 _Help_ —

 _Just solve the blasted problem —_

 _—_ _saved you —_

 _Someone —_

 _Won't you take my hand and give it your best shot —_

 _—_ _understand it?!_

 _—_ _from a tutor like him —_

 _—_ _you little brat!_

 _I can do that much —_

 _I'm going to break —_

'LET _GO_ OF ME!'

And I bite, drawing blood and I run for my life, sprinting so fast that the tears dry on my cheeks before I can even cry and I'm breaking and

 _someone help me PLEASE._

 _To be continued..._


	5. Chapter 5

**~ Heine ~**

'Checkmate.'

' _WHAT?!_ Again?!'

I lean back against the pillows with a smile, and toy with the pile of white chess pieces I stole from my opponent. 'I seem to have taken your king.'

'Are you sure…?'

I dangle the piece in question from my fingers, then press it into his hand. ''Tis here, as you can see.'

Ludwig sighs. He looks up from his book and his position by the door. 'Stop complaining, Maximilian.'

'Fine…'

It's been another quiet afternoon in the palace. No drama, no scandal, no explosions, no runaway princes, no visiting fiancees, and nothing of any note whatsoever, for that matter. We've become so accustomed to peace now that it feels almost normal again. I've yet to leave my room and I've remained in here over the past week, but I'm steadily recovering. But I've been able to teach the princes' lessons and deal with everyday affairs, and I've even learned to do all my daily activities with one hand behind my back — or rather, in a sling.

Also, Maximilian and Ludwig have been guarding me for the week.

Aside from Vikor managing the guard assignments — so there would be minimal clash between the Royal Guard and the new personal guards as they assumed their duties — apparently he also asked Maximilian and Ludwig to be my guards until I recovered. _I can't let someone privy to so many state secrets go unguarded_ , he teased, in reference to all my work as the princes' bodyguard. _And I want you to have peace of mind._

And as I would often have my door open with the palace physician and the princes constantly running in and out, I fell into the habit of keeping company with my guards.

It's actually been a pleasant diversion, and a chance to get to know the two of them better than I likely would otherwise have. I've learned that Maximilian is rather well-read, since he comes from a noble family — the Von Rosenbergs — and that he's simply awful at chess. Ludwig, on the other hand, I've been able to ask about the textbooks that they use at military academy, and unlike his partner, he can hold his own with a chessboard.

Of course, neither of them have beaten me yet. I smirk and Maximilian flops onto the bed, putting the chess pieces back on the board one-by-one. 'I'm pretty d_ awful at this,' he says. …Phew. How are you even meant to know what moves to make, anyway?'

'It's called strategy — '

Ludwig chokes and has to hide his laughter behind his books. 'And no, Maximilian, you don't spread it on your bagels so don't even ask.'

Maximilian reaches for a chesspiece to throw, but I swat his hand away. He settles for flinging a pillow instead. Ludwig catches it, and tosses it back. 'You're terrible,' Maximilian sulks.

'And you're a poor student,' Ludwig chides. 'How do you hold your reputation as the young hope of the guards if you can't even plan ahead in a fencing bout?'

'I just do it — I just go va-vwoom, bam, shabish wham boom, done.' Maximilian shrugs. 'Simple.'

I give a weary sigh. 'A man of pure instinct, just like Prince Leonhard.'

'Is that a compliment, or not?'

'…I decline to comment.'

'Oh really…'

I turn the page of the book lying in my lap, and glance at the clock. I'll have to give the princes their homework assignments soon —

' _SOMEONE HELP ME!_ '

The scream rips down the hall and stabs me through, striking a raw chord.

I hurl the chessboard aside with such force that it smashes into the wall and leaves a dent, and my feet are over the side of the bed so fast that I nearly cut myself on the bedframe. 'What was that — '

Maximilian lunges and catches me. 'Stop, you'll hurt yourself — !'

' _Someone else is getting hurt!_ ' I snap.

Maximilian flinches and I realise that I just yelled at him. I get a hold of myself, but flashbacks are slamming down on my shoulders like hammers — of other screams — other people getting hurt — getting injured —

Ludwig takes his halberd and opens the door wider, already stepping out. 'I'll go and check what's happening immediately. Herr Wittgenstein, stay there — you need to think of your health — '

'SOMEONE HELP!'

The force of terror behind the cry sets us back a step.

My breath disappears. Like I took a knife to the lungs.

'Leonhard.'

I shove Maximilian off and stand — yet my injured leg nearly buckles and I have to hold onto his shoulder so I don't fall, but that was Leonhard screaming — _for help_ —

'That was Prince Leonhard! I need to — '

Even Ludwig is trying to stop me, saying, 'You're going to do yourself an injury — '

'I don't _care_! He's my student and _I need to help him_!'

And footsteps sprint down the corridor and rattle the picture frames and chandeliers, and I blink and he's there.

Desperate and crying and he can't even breathe. 'Don't let him get me — _please!_ '

I don't even think — I hold my hand out and he flies into my arms. I catch him; the impact knocks me over but we fall against the bed, and I hold him steady but he's crying so hard and shaking so badly that I don't even know what to say.

My thoughts are a useless tangle, but one thing keeps flaring up. I thought that everything had been going fine — so why on earth is something like this happening? I can only try and catch my breath, and try to think my way around the stomach-churning possibilities of what could have happened.

Ludwig closes the door and locks it — leaving Maximilian to stand guard outside against intruders — and joins me. I whisper a quick word of thanks, yet I can't spare the time for anything more.

'Breathe, Prince.' I find my bearings and put my arm around him, forcing him to be still. 'You need to breathe. Deep breaths.'

On seeing the extent of the trauma for himself, Ludwig hisses a sharp intake of breath. 'Is he having a panic attack?'

'Possibly. Breathe, Prince.'

'Don't let him get me.' Leonhard's fingers clutch my shirt. Desperate, clinging to me like a lifeline. 'Don't let him get me, Heine…'

It feels like another stab to hear him whimpering such a request. To beg for safety — something no child should ever have to ask for. I take a breath myself, needing to be steady where Leonhard can't. I finally have something to work with, and I hold the prince close in an embrace, whispering soothing words. 'No one's going to get you, Prince. You're safe. I've got you.' I touch his head, bringing it to rest against my shoulder. 'Everything's all right. You're safe.'

Tears spill down his cheeks like liquid crystal, like melting glass. He's shaking, and quivering. 'I-I'm sorry, H-Heine.' I look at him in confusion, and he chokes out the words between sobs. 'I tried. I tried so hard but I can't do it anymore and I couldn't tell anyone and then I messed things up so bad and it's all my f-fault — '

'Shh, Prince. Shh.' I still have no idea what could have broken him up like this, but I know this at least isn't true.

'It's all my fault — '

'No it's not.' I rub his back, and force him to look at me. 'This isn't your fault, Prince — '

'It _is_ my fault! I r-ran off to see Bruno, because he got back from the university, but I ran off — and it was an accident — but the guard, he — grabbed my arm, and — I freaked out — I wasn't thinking — a-and — '

'Shh.' I think I've pieced together what happened. Leonhard must have taken off running with no warning and his guard reacted instinctively, pulling him aside for fear of losing track of the prince with his well-known speed. A truly unfortunate coincidence — it's likely that the man hasn't yet had the chance to learn of of Leonhard's history with his former tutors. Incidental things like the sound of a pointer still trigger the prince to this day, let alone such a direct thing as accosting him. On top of everything else, it must have been more than Leonhard could take —

I put the horrific mess to the back of my mind and rest my hand on Leonhard's shoulder. 'Shh. It's okay. That's not your fault. Not one little is not your fault at all, Prince.'

His lips quiver, and he looks down. Tears spatter the carpet, and he says the words as though they'll break him in two. 'I-I just wanted you to get better — but I couldn't even do this one little stupid thing to help — I'm useless!' He buries his face in his hands as his words tear him apart. ' _It's all my fault!_ '

Another sharp stab of pain. It's so strong that for a moment I'm hard pressed to believe it's emotional. It's strong enough that I have to get my breath back. _…My heart?_ I know I had a bullet wound near my heart, so all I can think is that it's still healing and this stress is affecting it.

I don't have some magical reply that I can give to Leonhard. There's no chain of pretty words that can make such pain disappear. So I gather my thoughts, and try to think how best I can help him with what I have. 'Prince.' I take his hands away from his face and look him in the eyes. 'Do you trust me?'

He tries to bite back his tears. He hesitates. Then nods.

'Then please trust my word. This is not your fault. Even when you try your hardest, things can still go wrong. Accidents happen. Even if you feel you made a mistake, that doesn't mean your guard should have reacted in that way, either. I understand if you feel like you need to get it all off your chest, but… I want you to know now that you're not useless. And nothing about this is not your fault.'

He hesitates. And I think I just got through to him.

I cup his face in my hand, holding his gaze. 'You tried hard. Very hard, and I'm proud of you. And I appreciate your efforts more than you know.' I let him go, and rest a hand on his shoulders. 'Everything's fine, Prince. Dry your tears.'

Leonhard swipes at his eyes with a gloved hand, then takes my fingertips in his, and swallows. _I guess I can do that much._

I exhale, yet the door slams open again. I shield Leonhard and hold him out of harm's way — but it's Bruno, tense and stressed and with shadows all over his expression. 'I apologise, Master, but I need to speak with — ' He sees Leonhard and I, still looking as though we'd both been attacked. His briefcase hits the ground with a crash. 'Dear G— _Leonhard_!'

He strides over and kneels at Leonhard's side, taking in and listening to and countering his brother's fragmented, broken words in the way that only siblings can. He holds Leonhard's hands in his own, yet he looks completely out of his depth. 'Master, what happened?'

'An unfortunate accident. Leonhard was running downstairs to greet you, but his guard thought he was sprinting off somewhere and instinctively waylaid him with a hand to the wrist or arm, or something to that effect.'

Bruno's slaps a hand to his forehead. 'Oh no… How could he?'

'I know. It was incredibly ill timing. He had no way of knowing that being pulled aside would set Leonhard off… I think your brother merely had a bad fright more than anything else.'

'Don't talk about me in the third-person,' Leonhard huffs. 'I'm right here!'

'My apologies, Prince, I was giving you a chance to finish crying your eyes out.'

' _I was not cry_ — ugh!' Leonhard crosses his arms and leans back against the bed, pulling Bruno with him. His voice is a little unsteady still, but that doesn't stop him from raising said voice nonetheless. 'I could be _traumatised_ , for all you know!'

'I'm not disputing that — '

'Hey!'

' — but if you're well enough to yell about it, then I think you're all right. Come on, enough of that. We'll have some Zachertorte when we're done here — '

Leonhard buttons his lips at once, and I'm relieved to see a faint smile on his features.

I turn my attention to Bruno. 'But Prince, why were you coming to see me?'

Bruno's fingers come to a halt, tangled in Leonhard's hair from having caught his brother in a messy embrace earlier. He disentangles himself. 'Oh. Yes.' He chews on his lips, fighting with something, then gives in and speaks. 'Master, I… please, forgive me. I didn't wish to trouble you with the whole matter concerning our guards, but…'

I grimace. 'No. If something happened, please tell me at once.'

'Well, nothing actually happened. Not yet.' He takes a deep breath, then nods. 'That's the problem. There's been a couple of hiccups, nothing major, but I'm worried that this matter is going to cause us some problems as the royal family. While all new things take time to set up and become established, it seems that this bodyguard matter is causing speculation among the general public, and if something were to go wrong it could — '

The door slams open. 'Teach — '

Bruno and I look up to see Licht. But he looks like anything other than the prince we know, and my heart lurches in my chest at the sight of him. His clothes are dishevelled and his bowtie has come loose as though torn, with his glasses and apron nowhere in sight. He's breaking, a thousand cracks held together by a thread, furious, yet hurting and helpless.

'T-Teach, I…'

'Licht?' Bruno gets to his feet and walks over. Despite their clashes, he's still Licht's older brother and his protective instincts draw him over to Licht, whether he realises it or not. He sets to brushing Licht's snarled hair out of his eyes, trying to gain clues from Licht's appearance. 'Are you hurt?' His hands grip Licht's shoulders. 'What happened?'

'I…' Licht chokes. He presses a hand to his mouth. 'I can't tell you, I…' He squeezes his eyes shut, and the tears finally spill. 'I screwed up so bad, Brunie…'

'Shh.' Bruno hugs him. Yet he can't reconcile Licht's choice of attire — his waiter's uniform — with the situation at hand, and his confusion would be comical in any situation other than this. He puts it aside for the time being. 'Shh. It's all right.'

Licht tries to laugh, but it catches on a sob and his shoulders curl inwards. 'Y-You didn't see what a m-massive mess I made or you w-wouldn't be saying that…'

As Leonhard and I watch Bruno try to comfort the him, it clicks, and I have to stifle a reaction. I should have realised immediately on seeing Licht in the doorway, given his attire. He must have come straight from the cafe and something must have happened there.

I glance at Leonhard — who still looks a little upset so I'll use that to my advantage — and catch Bruno's eye, beckoning him over with a finger. I leave him to take care of Leonhard, and I get to my feet, ordering Licht over with a gesture.

He pads over, unable to look me in the eye. I don't think I'll be able to stand even for a minute with my bad leg, so I take a seat before it gives way. I'm the only one Licht can speak to about what happened, as his brothers as of yet have no clue that their younger brother has been working at a cafe on the side for all this time.

'Prince, what happened?' I whisper.

I take his hands, and he tries to speak around all the broken bits. 'Heine, I messed up so bad… D-D_it… I didn't want to tell you b-but — '

'Shh.' I force him to look at me. 'It doesn't matter what it is, Prince. It doesn't even matter if I'm ill. You can always come to me. Understand?'

He chokes on a laugh. 'T-Thanks. I'm sorry, I didn't want to burden you with it.' He swallows, and tries to tame his snarled and tangled hair. He whispers the words quickly. '…I-It was the cafe. Charles and I… It was just a horrific misunderstanding, but my guard stepped in and we got into a fight and then Felix walked in and I… was able to make something up, because Felix thinks I'm some nobleman's son, … so Felix knows he's my guard, but — ' His hair falls in his eyes, and he chokes. 'I thought he was going to fire me. And even now, he must have been so disappointed that I…'

He closes his eyes and clenches his jaw to hold back the tears. 'Why? Why do I always have to mess everything up so bad?'

All I can do is offer him my hand, slipping my fingers through his. All I can do is try to make him feel better, clumsy though my efforts may be.

'…I'm sorry, Prince. I'm so sorry.' I gently tap his hand, making him open his eyes. '…I know you must be hurting, but… things may not be as bad as they feel like right now. It may be easier to look at the situation once you've had time to clear your head.'

He manages a nod. He gives me a crooked grin, yet I can see the pain through the cracks. 'I'll try — '

The doors slam open and Kai storms in, saying, 'Teacher, I — '

He sees us scattered about the carpet and stops short. He has to take a moment to come back to his senses. 'Teacher? What happened?'

Leonhard's eyes flick away; Bruno clears his throat; Licht crosses his arms and looks down, and I say, 'A series of unfortunate events. But what happened with you, Prince Kai?'

'Oh. Right.' Kai takes a breath, then runs his hands through his hair, taking several steps about the room to find his footing. 'I… I know I'm not good with words, but…' Then he turns to face us.

'Teacher, I know we all said that we would try, but — ' His head snaps up and his eyes are so clear and sharp that for the briefest moment, I'm looking at Viktor. 'You told us to tell you if this wasn't working. That conflict can only be solved with compromise. We want to make this work and I think we can, but if we can't come up with a way to handle this better, I'm… I'm worried that something bad could happen. Something…' His gaze darkens, then he exhales. 'Something worse.'

'Kai's right.' Licht gets to his feet and leans against the wall. He untangles his hair from its ponytail, then smoothes down his clothes as best he can before speaking. 'At first I was just annoyed because of how _I_ was affected by this. It was kind of like my plans had been shot to bits and I had to make it work. …But then… something bad actually happened, and… it wasn't just me that was affected; _other_ people were too. If I felt awful, how must _they_ have felt? I don't want other people to feel like I did — _especially_ if it's something I'm repsonsible for. I want to fix this and make sure it never happens again.'

'I concur.' Bruno pushes his glasses up. 'It was not that I was so adversely affected myself, nor the people around me, in such a dire sense as Licht just detailed — but it didn't occur to me that this matter of us having guards would be subject to such deep scrutiny. If we or our guards can't maintain our images as members of the royal family and the servants thereof, it could cause conflict and suspicion, among the people of our kingdom and between us and those of other kingdoms who watch our actions.' Bruno looks at me, and I see regret and resolve mingled in his eyes. 'While we can't control every aspect of every situation, I believe that we can at least attempt to handle things better than we are now.'

'Yeah.' It takes me a moment to realise that the voice I'm hearing is Prince Leonhard. 'Yeah. I… I know I… messed up. It was just one thing on top of everything else that's happened recently, and I freaked out.' He tries to smile. Hecrosses his arms and rests them on his knees, looking at the carpet. '…I want to try. To do more than this much, but… I don't know how. I'm sorry.'

No one says any thing for a moment.

'No. _I'm_ sorry.'

It takes a moment for the princes to realise that I was the one who spoke the words.

I exhale, then begin to speak. 'I'm sorry that this has been hard. I'm sorry that I didn't realise you were having such difficulties. I had no idea that you were struggling, and in my pride I thought it would be obvious to me if something were wrong. Yet you conducted yourselves so well that the truth of the matter went right over my head. And I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed someone to talk to — '

'No!' Bruno protests. 'We didn't want to burden you with this, Master!'

'Yeah — I mean, yeah, we didn't expect everything to hit the _d_ed ceiling_ ,' Licht admits, 'but it's not as though that's how things have been _all week_!'

'We wanted you to focus on recovering, and getting better!' Kai says.

'Y-Yeah!' Leonhard says, 'It was an accident, you don't need to — '

I hold up my hands and speak over top of them. 'Boys, please. You could have come to me anyway.' I push up my glasses. '…Please, listen. I know you're trying to do what you can to help me. And I appreciate it, deeply.'

It… feels strange to speak like this. To be open. When I'm so used to holding my cards close to my chest, to keeping things to myself, to even lying when the occasion calls for it. But somewhere deep inside, I need to say what I have to say. And the feeling is so strong that it aches.

'…But even if I'm ill, or tired, or sick — I'm still your teacher. And you can still come to me, wherever, whenever, no matter what it is. You're all important, and your problems are important to me, no matter what they may be.' I bite my lip, and choke down my pride. 'When I'm in pain… there's only so much I can do. I have to push myself to be my normal self. I know I haven't been able to help you much over the past week, and there has even been times I was… in less than a tolerant frame of mind. I'm… sorry. Forgive me.'

'…Don't apologise.' I look down to see Leonhard take my hand. He avoids my gaze, but his gloved fingers brush back and forth on my palm. 'Aren't you the one who told us that "educators are only human"?'

I blink. Then I recall the words I reeled off to them in a rather disorganised art lesson. 'I… Yes, I did.' I lower my head, looking at the white of Leonhard's gloved hand on mine. 'I just want to be there for you all. And it… frustrates me when I can't.'

Leonhard looks up at me and narrows his eyes. 'You're thinking that this your fault, aren't you?'

'I… I was not.' _Bingo,_ I can't help but think, to my embarrassment. 'I...' I can't help but whisper it. 'If I was able to do more, then maybe — '

'All right, that's enough' Leonhard says firmly. 'What — do you actually think that doing such a good job of being our guard and maybe kind of getting _injured_ is _your_ fault?'

'I confess that I could have been a bit more careful with that incident at the clock tower…'

Kai facepalms, and Licht bursts out laughing. 'Oh my gosh, wow. I'm not even sure I want to know.'

Leonhard grins and lightly pokes my forehead. 'You keep telling us all that this situation isn't our fault, yet you can't practice what you preach?'

I bat his hand away. But I give him a cautious smile. 'Like you said — educators are only human, I suppose.'

'Exactly. This isn't your fault. And according to you, it's not our fault either.'

Kai has been musing in silence this whole time, thinking hard. 'It's no one's fault,' he finally says. 'We're all trying, but… I guess we're not communicating that well.'

Licht runs a hand through his hair and says, 'Yeah. So we need to find a better solution. Seek out alternative solutions, right? Just because we got off to a rough start… that doesn't mean we can't make this work. Can't we think of something?'

Bruno taps his fingers against his leg, then they fall still. 'We can choose what to do, but that's not going to change anything unless we know what caused this mess. …This entire situation was caused by… what?'

'By us not getting along with our guards,' Leonhard says bluntly. 'And by us running around like idiots, if you want to get specific.' He stops. And a light clicks on in his eyes. 'What if we swap things around?'

'Eh?'

'All four of us are different. We have different personalities.' Leonhard gestures. 'I mean, frankly, I think some of our current guards should be sacked, but that's beside the point. So if we can't see eye to eye with our guards, then let's swap our guards around until we get matches that work!'

Licht has to cover his mouth to hide a grin. 'My word. Brilliant. My boring prick of a guard would get on with Brunie like a house on fire.'

'What was that?! Well in that case — mine is longsuffering to the point that he may actually be able to put up with your womanising theatrics!'

'Pfft.' Licht laughs, and it's a relief to be able to hear them laughing and teasing each other again.

Yet our problems will not be solved _quite_ that easily.

'An excellent solution, Princes. And you are correct, Leonhard: I think that His Majesty may be reviewing the fitness of some of your current guards even at this moment. Yet that does not solve the other issue at hand. It seems that if we can surmise something from all this, it would be that having bodyguards constantly at your shoulder is proving to be… aggravating, to say the least. For you, and them, and everyone around you, and potentially other kingdoms, who will be watching how this plays out. Yet you all still need guards regardless'

'It's so d_ hard to please everyone,' Leonhard grumbles.

'Yes. It seems we couldn't avoid conflict all together given how abruptly we set this up. And some issues when starting out are _fine_ ,' I say, stressing the point. 'But if we continue in this way then we _will_ be bringing the royal family under scrutiny. Both now, and especially at the upcoming centennial celebrations.'

'But we obviously still require guards, no?' Bruno asks.

'Yes, that much is for certain.' I think for a minute. Then say, 'We will rework this situation until we have a passing semblance of working order, one that will placate everyone and last for the six months or so leading up to the celebrations. But this is not going to be a good long-term solution.'

'I was wondering that myself,' Bruno said. 'This is serving our current purposes, but I think we need something a bit more… subtle for the celebrations.'

'Exactly. We could hire new guards and mix and match and finetune which of you is paired up with whom until we're blue in the face, but that doesn't mean that this is going to be the best solution for that event, if we've learned nothing else from this debacle.'

I bite the edge of my thumbnail, deep in thought. Even before the first candidates were screened, both Viktor and I had a feeling that our plans may not play out in the way that we wanted them to. And it's not merely the princes and their emotional baggage that we have to contend with this time — it's all the additional, political implications of what we're doing that we haven't even had time to think about, let alone address. While things will inevitably "settle down" over time, that still does not solve these new problems — of how our efforts will paint the royal family in the public eye in the long term, and how these safeguards for the palace will hold up both within and without.

You don't make a move in chess without thinking ten steps ahead. And you don't do anyhting involving these princes without having a Plan B.

'So what do we do?' Leonhard asks.

I take a breath. 'I'm going to be talking to His Majesty the King. It's time to start seeking alternative solutions.'

* * *

 **~ Viktor ~**

It's usually not a good sign on coming back to your office to find that you can't see the desk for paperwork.

My bag hits the floor with a crack. 'My word… what happened?'

Yet I'm talking to an empty room, because due to recent events, my high steward has been otherwise engaged. I sigh and drop into my chair, my heart sinking at a yard a minute as I sift through the papers and try to work out what the h_ happened.

I slit open envelopes, and compare reports, and contracts, and notes, and… _heigile_ _.

It looks as though the princes happened. All four of them in one day.

I groan and drop my head on my desk. Heine told me I was dreaming if I expected this to go off without a hitch, but I didn't expect _this_ level of… whatever this is.

And right on cue, the telephone rings. I get the unwieldy thing off the hook and try to keep turning pages with my other hand. 'Hello? It's… I mean, hi?' I really hope this isn't the call I've been waiting on from the Fonseinian ambassador — if so, I've probably botched a two-hundred year truce in as many miliseconds.

'Smooth, Father. I was calling to — '

I recognise Eins' coffee grinder-like voice on the other end of the line, and sigh in relief. 'Son?' Yet my relief is short-lived, and I flinch. 'Oh d_it, _please_ don't tell me that something happened with you too.'

'Lovely to talk to you as well. No, while it has been… interesting to have a professional stalker in my employ, things have been uneventful. Anyway, can we both at least pretend as though we want to talk to each other?'

'I'm sorry. I just… We've been having some problems.'

'I gathered as much.'

'It seems there's been some… issues. Bruno got some unwanted attention at the university; Kai… don't start me on Kai — that was bad — Leonhard and his guard had a… fight, or whatever you want to call it, and Licht got into trouble at the… in town, and — '

'At the cafe?'

I pause, then remember that it was Count Rosenberg who originally told me of Licht's job at the Café Mitter Meyer. It makes sense that Eins would know. 'Yes, that.'

'Did you honestly expect my brothers to be able to handle this?'

'No. I mean, yes. But it's not entirely their fault. I lean back in my chair, and glare at the chandelier above my head. 'I'd be a fool if I didn't expect such a sudden change at the palace to cause problems, but I didn't expect there to be _major_ problems so… quickly.'

Eins scoffs. 'Yes, right. You're going to have to bring this back into line or think of something else.' As blunt as his words are, I know he's speaking the truth. 'It doesn't matter if the princes eventually adjust. That's not even the issue. This whole plan of yours to give them personal guards is about as subtle as a brick to the head, Father. We can't afford public attention at the moment, not when all the other kingdoms are as wary as h_ of us right now. And even if this settles down, we sure as h_ can't afford negative attention at the centennial celebrations. '

'I know,' I murmur. 'That event is our way of regaining everyone's confidences after the Venetian Affair, and you and I both know it.' I sit back in my chair. 'Believe me, if I could think of a viable alternative then I would already be signing the paperwork.'

'And I would too. Even I'm annoyed, and I have nothing to be annoyed about — ' Eins breaks off, and I hear his voice at a distance as though he set down the receiver. 'No, Ernst, you can't. It specifically says in the contract — the principal nor any company of the principal may attack the guard in any way or form.' Eins pauses. 'No, not even if you make it look like an accident.' Another pause. 'You _know_ that's not what staircases are for.' Another pause. 'Well I didn't write the d_ contract.' Pause. 'If you've got that much time on your hands, then go and inventory our outlying properties, for heaven's sake. And I'm on the… d_it.'

Eins picks up the receiver again. '…On second thought, please hurry the h_ up and think of that viable alternative, or we may be hearing about Schwarz in the tabloids.'

I exhale. 'Right.'

'Good luck. You'll need it.'

'Wait a moment — why were you even calling me to begin with?'

Eins pauses. 'Foresight, if you will. I guessed you would all only last about a week, so I figured I would confirm my suspicions.'

And he hangs up. Leaving me staring at the postscript of a handwritten note from Heine which summarises the black-and-white printed mess on my desk.

 _Here's hoping you've got that Plan B, Viktor._

I run a finger over the words. Then I stand and summon one of the palace servants.

'Bring me Rossaine Savaz.'

And only moments later, the man appears as though he melted out of thin air.

'Nice of you to show up.' I sit back down and Rossaine crosses the room. 'And that was quick, for that matter.'

'I've been hanging around in Glanzreich. As per your invitation.' He stands by the window, and it feels like old times. 'I've been trying to keep a low profile, however. For obvious reasons.'

'Mm.'

'…I imagine you want something from me, Your Majesty?'

'Yes. …You're probably aware of how things have been going in the palace this week.'

'Yes. Badly.'

'Thanks for the input.' I get up and rest my hands on the windowsill, watching the city while Rossaine watches me. 'This wasn't as easy as I thought it as going to be.'

'Those princes are a collective piece of work, even once they settle down.' He ignores my mock offence, and continues. 'And if you didn't have spotlights on you before… you do now.'

'I know. The entire kingdom is watching us, and soon the whole Western Continent will be too.'

'Not to mention the Eastern Continent.'

'Don't start. Rossaine, I have to ask…'

'You already asked. And I already asked around, and one of my ex-military friends is now working as Prince Bruno's guard.'

'I know. But this isn't about right now. If we've learned nothing else from this mess, it's that this is a temporary solution, and it's one that's not going to work for the centennial events. I'm begging you. For my boys, and for Glanzreich. If you can think of another solution, no matter how out there it may be, I'll take it.'

'…Has anyone told you that you have a d_ irresistible expression when you want something?'

'As a matter of fact, yes, Rose has — '

'Your Majesty, I _really_ don't want to hear about it.'

I chuckle and turn around, resting my elbows on the window sill. 'So?'

Rossaine says nothing for a moment. His eyes are narrowed in concentration. They flicker. '…What are you wanting out of this?'

'Subtlety. We need a solution that will work both for the princes and Glanzreich.'

Rossaine turns to me. 'I may have something for you. But…'

'I knew you would. Didn't they use to call you 'the miracle-worker'?'

'That was for my efforts in saving your lady queen from assassins and ambitious members of the Council. In the few instances where you didn't beat me to it, however.'

'When she didn't beat _both_ of us to it.'

'Quite.'

'So?'

'Yes, right. I may have something for you, but… it may not be to your taste.'

'I'm open-minded.'

'It's not conventional.'

'I hired a "common criminal" to be the Royal Tutor. I sent conventional to hell a long time ago.'

Rossaine draws a calling card from the depths of his jacket pocket. A crimson rectangle, adorned with gold. He speaks in the language of Fonseine. ' _Le Chatons de Fleur._ '

'Acquaintances of yours?'

'You could say that. They're fairly new on the scene.'

'And you think this could solve our problems?'

'They can kill, poison, drown, and stab your problems, if they don't manipulate them into doing your every whim and fancy first.'

'Can you arrange a meeting?'

'They're expensive.'

'We can afford it.'

Rossaine leaves the card in my hand, and nods. 'I can.'

I check the time, then crack my knuckles and wonder how fast I can pack my bags. 'In that case — I'm going to meet with them myself.'

We're going to Fonseine.

 _To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6

**~ Viktor ~**

It's been a while.

It's been a while since I've been to Fonseine.

The sights of the city fill the windows of the train's passenger car: the river, the flowers, the striped awnings and the on-point fashions of Fleur, accented by blasts of whistles and steam as we pull into the station.

I finger the pocket watch in the depths of my coat. I'm still not fully awake. I didn't have time for the intricacies of coming to Fonseine under the guise of attending to official matters — if I had, then I would have been caught up with meetings with the royal family and the like. And I would prefer to keep this quiet. At least until I can come to a decision for myself.

Normally they would close the train station here for security purposes when royals from other nations come to visit, but I… got around it. Heine would _kill_ me if he found out. But it's not as though I didn't let Isabelle know, and at least she's a lenient royal when it comes to international visits.

So I took an overnight train with a ticket for economy class, and here I am, dressed in normal clothes — something a civilian would wear on a daytrip to Fleur. At least, I hope it looks normal.

I click the winder on my pocketwatch and put it away, unable to help but wish that Heine was here to tell me to keep it together.

The whistle gives a final blast. I get up to leave, only to be washed out onto the platform in a dizzy tangle of passengers flooding to their respective destinations. I find my footing and look around the station. The chaos is certainly something you miss when you travel by royal train car, to be sure. The cold air of the city wakes me up, but a coffee to seal the deal wouldn't go amiss.

Rossaine didn't accompany me for this trip, yet he gave me directions to where I'm meant to be meeting the leader of _Chatons de Fleur_. A cafe near the train station, apparently renowned for its coffee. I give the written directions a glance; look up at a nearby cafe adorned with a green-and-white striped awning, and head in that direction.

The streets are adorned with intricately-crafted streetlamps and flowers in window boxes, and despite the somewhat pressing nature of this errand, I can't help but take a moment to enjoy it. A breath of fresh air after everything that's been happening of late. I wish I could have brought Heine along if only to give him a break from the palace. But he's still not up to walking, and I think yesterday's ordeal with the princes tired him out more than he realises, even if only emotionally.

And that's the main reason I'm here. I could say that I'm doing this to protect the princes, or Eins, or my reputation, and it's all true. But I want to protect Heine as well. I draw to a halt outside the cafe with a wry grimace. Even if it's going to put a significant dent in the kingdom's annual budget.

The cafe's tables are full, with patrons swapping in and out constantly, all with reservations. They seem to be mostly locals dressed in the chic fashions that Fleur is known for, and the air tastes like espresso and vanilla.

'Reservation, sir?' one of the waitresses asks with a smile.

I smile back and say, 'Oh, I'm meeting someone…'

One of the customers sets down her water glass and turns slightly in her chair, giving me a courteous nod. It was as though I didn't see her until she wanted me to. I give the waitress another smile and slip through the tables.

'Is this seat taken?' I ask in the language of Fonseine.

She laces her fingers together and shakes her head with a smile. Pretty, and tasteful — she could pass for a noblewoman or very well be one. Delicate makeup, a fitted winter coat in a shade of velvet grey, and intelligent eyes that are confident and self-assured, not averting to look away for a moment. 'Is this Rossaine's friend whom I've heard so much about?' Despite the casual words, they're said with a perfect degree of poise and formality.

'You could say that.' I pull out the chair and take a seat, the background noise blurring around our table.

'A pleasure.' Her carefully manicured nails rest agaisnt her chest for a moment, and her head bows just a touch lower than what a normal greeting would allow. 'Amélie Seydoux.'

'Likewise.' I lower my voice slightly. 'Viktor von Glanzreich.'

She gives me subtle look, then turns her attention to the waiter that blindsides me and asks, 'Drinks?'

'Caffé latte,' Amélie says.

'Café au lait,' I add.

'Thank you, that's all.'

Amélie elegantly loosens the collar of her coat by one button and says, 'I wondered if you might order one of the coffees of your own country. But I suppose variety is the spice of life, no?'

'I've had one too many espressos recently. I could do with something a little lighter.'

'Mm. So, forgive me for asking…' she says, '…I usually have a habit of asking people if they wish me to use their titles. It tends to save grief later on.'

I take a sip of water, then set the glass down. 'I can understand that, but this isn't exactly… a private space.'

Amélie unfolds her serviette, and smiles. 'Since when do people care to listen to what anyone other than themselves are saying?'

'True.' She takes another sip of water and I say, 'But "Viktor" will suffice, as my title's a little overlong. As in: "Viktor von Glanzreich His Majesty the King of the Realm of Glanzreich the King of War that Transformed the Entire Western Continent" overlong.'

She gets the mouthful of water down without even so much as a passing semblance of choking.

I shrug, and smile. 'You know how it is.'

Amélie puts the glass down and pushes it away with a finger. 'Quite so… Herr Viktor.'

Our coffees arrive, wreathing steam and patterned with milk foam. The taste is mild, and certainly sweeter than the strong, saucy brews that Licht often springs on me after a long day in the office.

'So tell me,' Amélie says, stirring her coffee with a spoon. She sets the spoon aside and and takes a sip. Her eyes meet mine. 'Who are the two men watching you?'

'…Pardon?'

Her eyes don't leave my face. 'The two men sitting one table over and that have only spoken to each other briefly since they arrived.'

I say nothing for a moment. Then my brow creases. 'Pardon? Watching me?'

'Yes.' She murmurs in quick, clipped sentences. 'One has close-cut blond hair, a brown coat, and is wearing a shoulder holster beneath his coat. He carries himself and speaks like a soldier, yet without a great deal of class. The other has strawberry-blond hair in a shade that would make one wonder if it were dyed, and despite being seemingly well-bred in his manners and posture, he's exhibited over twenty nervous tells since he's sat down at the table. He seems to be witholding from speech so he doesn't give himself away.'

I say nothing. 'Well, in that case we could have a problem.'

Amélie dips her spoon in her coffee again, watching me closely. And also watching over my shoulder at the same time, watching the two men that she claims are watching me in turn. She holds the spoon loosely in her hand, and it points down her forearm. 'What kind of problem?'

'Because either they're about to try to kill me…' I turn around and tap Ludwig on the shoulder, saying, '…or they're my guards and also completely ill-suited to subtlety or anything else of the sory.'

Ludwig grimaces and says, 'Apologies, Your… I mean — sir.'

Maximilian grins sheepishly. 'I swear, Miss, I think you probably had us pinned the moment we stepped off the train.'

'Despite you being seated in different rows in the train car and getting off the train with a two-minute interval between you and your master.'

And Amélie sets her spoon down.

They say that skilled perfumers can identify the ingredients for a receipe from scent alone. That's the comparison I draw as Maximilian and Ludwig attempt to gather their wits and I wonder how the h_ Rossaine came to know this particular lady.

'My apologies, Miss Amélie,' I say. 'I wisked to test your abilities, so please forgive that little diversion.'

'Oh,' she says with a smile. 'Not at all.'

And this is what we were looking for. This level of precision, and not only being able to read a room, but read one's opponents and even read the 'client' themselves.

'What would you have done?'

Amélie's hand pauses en route to her coffee cup.

'What would you have done if there were a threat on my life?' I prop my head in my hand and watch her. 'I'm curious.'

Amélie weighs her answer. Then says demurely, 'All talk of what obligation I personally believe myself to owe you at this point in time —I think you would find that to be an unsuitable tabletime conversation topic, Herr Viktor.'

I see Ludwig's eyesbrows shoot up over his coffee. 'Wow. Gutsy.'

Amélie doesn't even bat an eyelash.

The waitress gives us the bill and I sign it off, having had the foresight to bring Fonseine currency with me.

'Well,' I say. '…I'm interested. To say the least.'

She rests her elbows on the table and smiles that smile again, yet I feel as though it fits her face and her true demeanour more than the lightly-sugared ones she gifted me with earlier. Less sweet, and more business-like. 'Not to use the phrase 'let's take it outside,' but would you like to continue this discussion at _Le Chatons de Fleur's_ office?'

'I'd be delighted.'

'And I'm delighted to come across a client who will pay for my coffee, so I think we're going to get along wonderfully. If you and your guards would care to take your leave and follow me, we can take a carriage.'

She leads the way, and as myself and my two guards pick our way through the tables, Ludwig asks, 'So… Your Majesty, is this really…'

'You needn't worry.' I glance at him, then step out the door in a tinkle of bronze bells. 'She'd turn the heads of angels, and I'm not unaware.'

 _Because indeed_ , I think, as the three of us follow Amélie to a waiting landau, _it wouldn't be out of the question for even an immortal to be charmed by this woman. All the more a sign of her skill_.

She climbs aboard with perfect grace and we join her, the hired driver taking us along the Seine and following the river like lines of calligraphy.

The three of us sit opposite to her, and she sits with her hands folded in her lap, her hair shifting on her shoulders with each turn of the wheels. 'As we have the privacy that being on the road allows, gentlemen, I take it that you would wish to hear more about _Le Chatons de Fleur_.'

I nod. 'Yes. My knowledge prior to coming here was somewhat limited.'

'I imagine so. In that case, I take it that you heard about us from Rossaine Savaz?'

'Correct.' I rest my elbow on the back of the seat, and smile. 'If nothing else, I know he has good taste, so I went to him for… recommendations.'

She nods. 'He'd briefly mentioned your family in passing, but it seems we're alike, Your Majesty… in that we know very little about each other.'

'So tell me more,' I say. 'Information about the royal family of Glanzreich is hardly thin on the ground, but I've yet to hear of _Le Chatons de Fleur_. So… do enlighten me.'

'As you wish.' She clicks the top button of her coat together and gestures with a hand, all business and no light-hearted pleasantries. ' _Le Chatons de Fleur_ is an independent personal protection agency. We operate outside of any established military of any country, yet as we see fit we draw on the connections and trust that we've built with the countries of our clients when the occasion calls for it. We situate ourselves in Fleur, as it's a convenient point of access to other countries and I myself am from here and have connections here also.'

'And who are your former clients?'

'You don't waste time, do you?'

'Not at all.'

'We've worked with various members of nobility and royalty from numerous countries. Our guards are also of diverse backgrounds and as such are versatile and well suited to working with a diversified clientele.' She gestures again. 'Perhaps you are familiar with the young royals of Belgian, or the Romano princes. Or to be more general, you no doubt are acquainted with the noblemen of Madri; the political figures of Ghermany, or even some of the counts of your own kingdom. We work with clients from the fringes of the noble classes to members of royalty themselves, as the situation requires.'

'A truly diversified clientele.'

'Indeed.'

'And what of confidentialty?'

'Agreements are signed for the strictest keeping of all knowledge and information shared during the course of any commissioned work.'

'You must have no end of secrets in your possession.'

'Don't we all?'

'Quite so.'

While this is no doubt intriguing — and surprising, to hear of the agency's reputation and influence — there's something I need to ask.

'…I must ask. The name of your agency.'

Her expression doesn't change, her lips pursed in that same pleasant smile.

'Rather, I must ask a specific question.'

'Do ask. We're all about customer service at _Le Chatons de Fleur_.'

Maximilian leans over to Ludwig and whispers, 'What does that name even mean, anyway?'

'It means… of Fleur…'

'My question is: you must be one of the first personal protection agencies in recorded history to employ an all-female staff, no?'

She raises an eyebrow. Maximilian and Ludwig both blink. 'All-what?'.

'All-female. All-female personnel,' Amélie says. 'And forgive answering a question with a question, but I thought that Rossaine Savaz would have told you a little more about us?'

'What the h_?!' Maximilian protests, only to receive a sharp backhand blow to the neck.

'Don't interrupt!' Ludwig scolds. Yet he looks stunned, and is giving me more than one wary glance.

'Oh, he told me about you, certainly,' I say, 'And the name of your agency was somewhat of a give away. But I've certainly heard very little about your _Le Chatons de Fleur_ , and one finds things out by asking questions, no?'

'But of course.' Amélie glances at Maximilian, and says. '" _Le Chatons de Fleur." "_ The Kittens of Fleur." Hardly a very masculine title, _non_?'

'What the…' Maximilian trails off in bewilderment and rubs the back of his neck. His fingers catch on his collar. 'I thought you were a secretary or something.'

'No.' She purses her lips, yet speaks in the same congenial tone. 'I'm intrigued that even after all this time, it still surprises me when someone assumes I'm the company's secretary.'

Maximilian apologises, yet it's rather quick and he looks anything but convinced. And why would they be convinced — what part of a woman doing a man's job would convince anyone that she was capable of doing it just as well, at first sight? And despite having a more well-rounded mindset beaten into me courtesy of Heine, and knowing full well how skilled women can be behind the scenes in politics and courtly intrigue courtesy of my wife — I'm going to need to be convinced myself, if merely because I'm staking so much on this venture panning out.

Amélie straightens her shoulders and says, ' _Le Chatons de Fleur_ is — as you correctly guessed, Your Majesty — staffed entirely by women. Yet that is no secret — I myself am the director of the agency and that is literally written in gold on the back of our business cards. And our agency's name is a reference to our staff. Young, talented, and able to play whatever part is required of them, yet also able use their claws and defend their charge when the occasion calls for it.'

She glances at me, and I know what she's thinking. This would be the point where some people would take the opportunity to attack, to pretend as though they didn't know how their agency ran itself and to blister her for 'making a fool of them.'

Yet that's not how I play. Rather — despite the potential setbacks, which any plan has — I can see the advantages here, in strategy, maneuverability, and many other areas.

'What gave you this idea?' I ask.

It seems to be a rare question, because she pauses to take the time to consider it properly. 'I saw an opportunity, where most people would not see anything at all. ' And her eyes highlight flecks of iron ore, but then they disappear again. 'And forgive me for being forward, Your Majesty, but would I be correct in thinking that you yourself are here because you saw an opportunity as well?'

'I couldn't say. Yet I'm certainly seeing something to give me pause, let's put it like that.'

She smiles. And holds out a hand to the townhouse on the Seine that our carriage draws to a halt in front of. Well-situated, and exquisitely kept up. 'This is the residence and office of _Le Chatons de Fleur._ Shall we take our business inside?'

'Thank you, yes.'

We disembark and the hired driver takes the carriage away, leaving us to head up the steps and out of the cold.

'Tell me,' I say, as Amélie knocks on the door. 'What's the word on the street regarding you and your agency?'

The door opens and Amélie steps inside and looks over her shoulder. 'I'm afraid I wouldn't know, as no one is aware that we run this agency from here other than our clients. Although some may wish to draw conclusions.' The briefest flicker of regret, incredibly well-masked.

The maid who opened the door curtseys as we enter, and she closes the door behind us, taking our coats and leaving us in the foyer to take in the tasteful decor and wallpaper.

I can guess what conclusions some would draw, even if they were only people passing by on the street and noting the day-to-day activities. Perhaps they would think it was a boarding house, or a townhouse for the daughters of a nobleman and their friends. Despite the seeming classiness of Amélie and her agency, perhaps some would even assume it was a house of pleasure. A maison close.

Perhaps the name 'The Kittens of Fleur' also has a hint of bitter irony.

Yet I don't think that Amélie would be the kind to crack under false assumptions that easily, if the set of her spine and her poise as she guides us up the staircase are anything to go by.

Amélie opens a door to reveal what appears to be her personal office, and says, 'Please, come in.'

'Thank you. And you may stay here,' I say to my two guards.

They jump and give me their full attention. It seemed as though they were watching their surroundings as though expecting armed and dangerous girls to burst out of the woodwork. 'Are you sure, Your Majesty?'

'Quite. Just remain outside the door, that will suffice.' I walk into the office and say over my shoulder, 'Besides, it's not as though there are trap doors in the floor or anything!'

Amélie freezes, halfway to her desk. 'Forgive me, Your Majesty, but there actually are.'

I look down to see a faint rectangle in the carpet below my feet. I wisely decide to step forward and get off it. 'No, forgive me, that was… an ill coincidence.'

'Please pardon that.' Amélie indicates the button on the side of the desk and steps away from it. 'It is my great regret to inform you that not all our clients are blessed with such charming manners as yourself nor in possession of ranks that exempt them from being dismissed from our establishment, Your Highness.'

I smile and wave the _faux pas_ aside, taking a seat in the chair placed before the desk. 'Such as ill-mannered merchants who like to put on airs?'

Amélie sits in her own chair and gives me a smile in return. 'Correct. Yet no one has ever even thought in passing that we would ever think to take precautions.'

'I can well imagine. I merely like to be aware of my surroundings, so apologies for that.'

'Not at all. That sounds like a story in itself.'

'It's a long one, and I'm afraid we have other things to discuss.'

'That we do.'

And despite not being on the far side of the desk for once, I can very much feel my instincts sharpening with a few quick strokes like a knife to a stone, and I place one arm on the armrest of my chair. 'So tell me. If one were interested in hiring _Le Chatons de Fleur,_ how would one go about it?'

And she opens her desk drawer. She takes out two pieces of paper, carbon copies of each other and places a fountain pen on each. 'This is a basic confidentialty statement. Signing it agrees that nothing of what is discussed in regards to potentially using our agency leaves this room.'

I take the page and look it over, scanning through the text and fine print in the Fonseinian language. It's written and typed perfectly, in accurate technical language and printed on quality paper that bears a watermark of a paper store in Fleur. I take the fountain pen and dip it in ink, Amélie doing the same, and we sign and swap the papers until both of them bear our signatures. She blots the two of them and slips mine into an open folder, which she slides across the desk to me with a fingertip. 'This is your copy to take and keep on record. If you would check it for your satisfaction.'

I take it and check it, and place it on the desk to the side with a nod. 'Well then. As I have already asked some questions, would you care to ask yours?'

She nods. And I'm well aware that many clients would not care to be questioned by a woman. If anything, it would be the other way around.

Amélie rests her hands on the desk. 'Let us get down to business, then. _Le Chatons de Fleur_ is a specialist agency. We specialise in taking assignments for set amounts of time. If Rossaine Savaz recommended us to you, I imagine that there's a specific reason or event that you require our services for.'

And this is where I need to start playing my cards close to my chest. No matter the situation, giving someone else too much information is careless, not to mention it can become a weakness. But on the otherhand, outsourcing is an admission that you're seeking help from alternative sources, so it's a balance of giving just the right amount of information and masking any weak points in one's armour.

'…Things have been somewhat… eventful in the Kingdom of Glanzreich as of late. Perhaps you've heard.'

'There have been rumours, yes. Snippets in the papers. Seems there was a little incident at a harbour, but it's all been very hush hush.'

'For good reason.' I weigh my words and continue. 'After some political unrest involving Venezia, I took preventative measures and hired bodyguards for my sons.'

Amélie taps her fountain pen on the desk. 'I'm aware that those type of contracts have privacy statements, but would it be permissible to tell me whether they're affiliated with an agency or otherwise not?'

'No, they're unaffiliated. They were hired independently, some of them at Rossaine Savaz's recommendation. But I'm afraid that while it's a passable — if somewhat flawed — solution, it's not going to serve some of our future purposes.'

'Are they a hinderance? Obstructing day-to-day life and causing other incidents?'

'You sound as though you've heard this song and dance before.'

''Tis quite frequent that we're called in when all else fails. The _Chatons_ are prized for their subtlety. A military guard can be more hinderance than help, whereas one of our guards can play whatever part best suits one's situation.'

'Then I hope that they're skilled actresses, as I think this may put their skills to the test.'

She raises an eyebrow, with lips lightly parted in question.

'I'm not underestimating the talents of your guards — it's that I'm unwilling to underestimate our personal circumstances.' I rest an elbow on the desk, and bait her in. 'I have to wonder if you're very familiar with the royal family of Glanzreich, specifically.'

'You all certainly have reputations,' she says, unwilling to commit until she pins down where this is heading. 'Your Majesty has earned acclaim on the battlefield, and all your sons are held in high regard and acclaim even in other countries.'

'Oh yes, their reputations precede them by a hundred yards.'

She's intrigued, and it's as obvious as if it were painted on her face with a brush. Ever so slightly, I can see her chewing the corner of her lip and thinking fast enough to send the gears in her brain flying.

'Well, it's not as though we're in experienced in working with young royals and nobles. If anything, one could say it's our specialty.'

'Good to know.'

And with those three words and the subtle foreshadowing that led up to them, Amélie locks onto the unstated challenge — that these princes are more than anyone has been able to handle so far.

Well, except for Heine, but he is in both word and deed the exception and not the rule.

'You say your guards can play any part that's required,' I say Do you think they can keep with say… five princes?'

She rests her head on her hand and smiles. 'Only five?'

And I've found what makes her tick — she thrives on a challenge. And not just any challenge, the challenges of taking on notorious royals as clientele.

The risk and reward of such a venture are both drastically high, for both her and for me. If she were to accept, then literally everything would be on the line, for the both of us.

Yet while I only have maintaining the status quo to worry about, judging by what she's said, this is undeniably a massive opportunity for her and her agency.

It's not every day that you get to work with one of the most powerful kingdoms of the Western Continent, after all.

Even though I can imagine that all of this is flashing through her head faster than telegraph signals, she is completely calm and collected, taking the time to consider.

'So you're looking for better solution for the princes' security. While I can understand seeking protective measures after a security problem, it seems as though you've already addressed that issue — so I get the feeling that you have something specific in mind?'

'I do. What kind of time window could I expect?'

'What kind do you need?'

'One month.'

Her lips part, stunned, but I continue and say, 'To cover the lead up to Glanzreich's centennial celebrations and diplomatic events. '

'…Colour me well and truly interested, Your Majesty.'

I sit back in my chair. 'Well, that's the long and the short of it. What do you think?'

She places her fountain pen on its designated groove in the desk. 'One question. May I ask for a number of how many individuals you wish to have guards for?'

'Nine.'

She passes me another piece of paper. 'This is a summary list of the guards currently working for the _Chatons_. If you would care to take a look.'

Fifteen names are written in gold ink on crimson paper, with beautifully written lines denoting their nationality, availability, and…

I look up. '…This could be an ill-informed question, but… I'm surprised that their appearances are noted? I wouldn't have thought that their looks would have any relation to their competency and skill.'

Her lips tilt up at the corners in the faintest smile. 'No. No they would not, and you're far more intelligent than most men for saying so.' Then her expression takes on a different nuance, and she says, 'No, there's a point to that but a different one. Have you heard the term "partisan?"'

'In the sense that it means, "someone who fights in secret against an opposing force," then yes, I have.'

'In the personal protection industry, it has another meaning. Jargon, as such. A partisan is a guard who can take on the appearance of their principal — their charge — and act as their substitute-double to ensure their safety. When the occasion calls for it, our girls can work as partisans.'

On hearing her definition, I know immediately what she's talking about — we just merely refer to it in royal circles as 'playing doubles,' or something of the sort.

Then something snags. 'I… Forgive me. I think I missed something. I'm aware that some of your clients may very well be women, but… how would one be meant to play partisan for a prince if one were a…'

After a lengthy silence, she finishes my sentence. '…A girl?' She shrugs elegantly. 'It's all the more a testimony to our skill, is it not? And you'd be surprised to see what a pair of high heels and a small corselette can do.'

Maximilian chokes and nearly kills himself with a coughing fit out in the hall.

Amélie looks past me with a perfectly innocent expression, calling out, 'Are you quite all right out there, young man?'

'Fine,' he wheezes. 'Just dandy. I just wasn't expecting this to turn into a conversation about… lingerie.'

'C-Can you _not_ , Maximilian?!' Ludwig yells.

'I didn't start it!'

'Nor did you have to continue it! And not all of us know what a corselette _is_ — you could have left things as they were and we would have been all the better for it, but nooo, you had to go and open your _mouth_ , didn't you!'

Amélie shakes her head and sits back in her chair. 'My apologies for your… guards, I thought I was paraphrasing.'

'Ah, no. Not at all.'

'Anyway.' Amélie looks at me, no longer calculating or prising for information, but alert and waiting. 'You've heard what there is to hear, Your Majesty. Do you have any further questions?'

I glance over the list of names again. 'None that come to mind.'

'Then what do you wish to do?'

I look at the list of names once more.

What do I wish to do?

This is a risk, certainly. But everything has it's risks. And from what Heine's taught me, it's not to judge by stereotype, nor to judge competency by something as superficial as gender or appearance.

And something's been ticking away in the back of my mind — in the same way that Heine taught the princes a valuable lesson by becoming their tutor, there's something specific that I think this opportunity could teach the princes, as well.

And I think I know, instinctively, that this is the answer we've been looking for.

'…I wish to know what your availability is.'

She steeples her fingers and says, 'When are the centennial celebrations?'

'In six months time.'

She nods. 'I can get you availability before then, but I can get you full availability in six months, because in that time that time all our guards will have completed their current assignments.'

'Well, in that case…'

I leave her hanging for the briefest of moments.

'…I wish to sign a contract.'

Her lips curve into a smile. 'As you wish, Your Majesty.'

'What, you're seriously going to do it?!' Maximilian protests.

' _Maximilian!_ '

'What? I'm just saying this is kind of unprecedented, you know?!'

'It will be a learning curve for all of us,' I say, before turning back to Amélie. 'Some more than others.'

'That's always the way, it seems.' She slides a sheaf of paper over to me and I scan though it, signing on dotted lines where appropriate and reading every word of the text.

I sign the final line, and take the papers that she gives me. 'I look forward to working with you, Miss Amélie.'

'Likewise, Viktor von Glanzreich His Majesty the King of the Realm of Glanzreich the King of War that Transformed the Entire Western Continent,' she replies.

I raise an eyebrow and get up from my chair. 'You have a good memory.'

She waves a hand. 'Goes with the business.'

'As I see. As much as I would wish to discuss matters further, my royal duties won't wait and I've got to catch the next train back.'

'In that case, we can continue to discuss things and make further arrangements at a later date.'

She gets up and accompanies us to the door, the same maid unlocking it to let us out. 'Here,' she says, handing me a crimson business card. 'This is our telephone number, so feel free to use it when you wish to go over things in more detail.'

'Fabulous. Good day, Madmoiselle Seydoux.'

I pocket the card and we take our leave, down the steps and onto the long snowy path as the door closes behind us.

Maximilian is still somewhat shell-shocked. I pause for a moment, and say, 'Are you quite all right there?'

'Pardon? Oh, just spiffing — just reeling from all the forward-thinking and feminism going on in there.'

Ludwig sighs, and while he does look skeptical, he gives Maximilian one of his usual knocks about the shoulder. 'That's enough of that. While I can't deny that this is certainly unprecedented and that they'll have their work cut out for them… this could certainly keep things playing in Glanzreich's favour, I'll admit. The element of surprise and all that.'

'Quite,' I say. 'You'll have to be careful that they don't upstage you, on the first day, at least!'

We continue down the path, only to stop as a stranger turns in at the gate.

Young and slender, brushing the snow from her gloves with sharp pats and critical glances at her grey-clad limbs, and brushing snow from her ashy, grey-white hair, only drawing to a halt when her alert, cat-like eyes land on us.

We look at each other, an awkward impasse of a brief second. Then she bows. 'Greetings, Your Highness.'

Then she passes me for the house.

'W-Wait,' I say, turning around. 'How did you, I mean…'

I'm left staring at her her in bewilderment. How did she know? Did she know I was going to be coming here, or was it a wild guess, or…?

She stands sideways on the steps, her attention back on me. She pauses. Then says in perfectly clipped Gherman, 'You look the part, despite your attempts otherwise. And, well… one never knows if one is entertaining angels or royals unawares, no? Good day, Your Highness.'

Then she darts up the steps and raps on the door.

She picked up the barest hint of my Gherman accent even though I was speaking in Fonseine and responded in my own language, even guessing at a glance that I was of royal blood. Who is this girl?'

With my interest piqued, I decide to keep the conversation going. 'I suppose we'll be seeing each other again.' She glances back, and I say, 'I'm Viktor von Glanzreich. The Kingdom of Glanzreich has just signed to work with _Le Chatons de Fleur_.'

She's perfectly still for a heartbeat, then she says, 'It will be an honour, then.'

I smile. 'I suppose you'll be working with one of my sons — so it would only be fair to warn you that they have a bit of a reputation.'

'…That's… charming, Your Highness. Then it would only be fair to warn you that in the same way that our clientele has diversified personalities, so do we.' She glances back at the door, and as passage is not immediately granted, she takes a hairpin from her cropped hair and lets herself in via picking the lock, pausing again to bow and say, ' _Adieu_ and safe travels, Your Majesty,' and she disappears inside with a click.

Ludwig chokes. Maximilian laughs. And I have to hide a grin.

She and Heine would get along like a house on fire.

And those girls together with the princes?

Weisburg Palace is going to be going up in _flames_.

* * *

 **~ Heine ~**

I wake to someone poking my arm. I wince, and reluctantly open my eyes. 'Mmnnh… Can it wait?'

'Yes no or maybe so?'

I blink the fog of sleep from my eyes, and my vision clears enough for me to see that it's Viktor, and he's sitting on the edge my bed. Dusk has fallen since I fell asleep, the hour burnished with the last traces of sunset. I push my glasses onto my face and sit up, my vision clearing the rest of the way. 'This better be good, Your Majesty…'

Then he rests a hand on my shoulder, and I finally notice that he's dancing on air over the success of one of his latest schemes. 'Good news, listen.'

I give him a wary smile. 'What on earth?'

'I've fixed all our problems in a night and a day, and it only took two train rides and a significant chunk of the kingdom's annual budget!'

'You need to learn to stop throwing florins around like confetti — your spending habits are atrocious…' But I can't focus on that. Instead I say, '…Really?'

'Really. The perfect solution — for the centennial celebrations, for you, me, the princes, the kingdom, and everyone.'

'You sound a touch over-confident…'

'It's what I'm good at.' He chuckles, and gently shakes my shoulder before letting me go. '…But truly. You won't need to worry about any of it, and that's the best thing of all.'

I blink in disbelief. 'You're… not going to all that trouble for me…?'

'You and the kingdom. But mainly you. A thank you for all your hard work.'

My chest aches a little at his words. 'No. Thank _you_.'

He smiles. '…But I must say, I think I may need help convincing the boys, because…' He laughs. 'Mm. Actually, I'll get back to you on that.'

I push my glasses up and say, 'Well, that's certainly not beyond my capabilities. I've resumed teaching as normal despite being confined to bed, and I even helped the princes clean up their little string of disasters from yesterday.'

'I heard, and thank you for doing that. I appreciate you being able to be there for them. But please don't push yourself.'

'It's not as though I'm doing anything difficult — '

'Heine. It doesn't matter if you're tearing Glanzreich apart with a gun in your hand or dealing with the little things as they come. I don't want you to hurt yourself again, whether it's a bullet wound or a papercut. All right? Take care of yourself.'

I smile a little. 'Yes, Doctor.'

'If anyone were a doctor, it would be you.'

'I never even went to university, you _dumkoff_.'

He smiles, a little laughter spilling from the chinks between his teeth, and it's contagious.

Yet my brief, passing semblance of a smile fades.

 _You're the only one I would want to take my place, Heine. You know, I didn't just call you here to teach them. I wanted you to come and be family to them. To be there for them when I can't. I trust you. And I want you to treat them as though they're your own, because I want to share this with you._

Despite everything, I still don't know what to do with Viktor's words. I don't know what I'm meant to do.

'Heine? What's wrong, old friend?'

'I…' I give him an unimpressed look. 'You can read me like a book sometimes.' I bite my lip and say, '…It's nothing. I think it's something I have to work out for myself, anyway.'

'If you say so. But talking to others can help organise one's own thoughts, no?'

'…Why are my own words being quoted back to me?'

'Heh. Bruno was sharing some of your pearls of wisdom with me the other day. He likes quoting you.'

I blush in embarrassment, and stifle it in my pillow. '…My word.'

I don't say anything for a moment.

'I… Remember… how you told me… that I could… that you wanted to share your family with me? That you wanted me to be family to the boys?'

'Yes?'

'I…' It hurts, and it stings, and my stupid pride is aching so badly that it practically needs surgery at this point to have it removed. But I get the words out nonetheless, knowing it's the right thing to do. '…I don't know how to do that. I don't know what you want me to do.'

Viktor says nothing for a moment. Then puts an arm around my shoulders. 'You do whatever you want, Heine. If anything, you've been like family to them all along.'

 _What?_ 'I have?'

'Yes. And it was a gift — yours to do with as you _wish_.' He runs a hand through his hair, his fingers snarling it up in a tangle around his neck. 'Look, Heine… it was a somewhat selfish request. I didn't mean to throw you for a loop. It's just… You're the one person in this kingdom that I trust the most. And when I needed to find a tutor to not only teach my boys, but to give them shelter and help them learn… you were the one who came to mind. And if I ask you here to suffer all the intricacies of court and royal politics, then the least I can do is let you share in the good parts. To be more than their teacher, to be their friend. To be whatever you want, because it's your one life to do with as you wish.'

'You're quoting me again.'

'You're quite quotable.'

'Because that's really the look I was going for…'

I press my hand to my mouth, biting back my smile. Biting back all my emotions, whatever they may be. All I know now is that they don't feel like as much of a tangled mess as before.

I take Viktor's hand in a brief gesture of farewell, before he gets up and heads for the door.

'Thank you, Viktor.'

He stops and turns back. My fingers clasp my shirt collar; I hesitate, then say, 'I… I think I need to think it through some more. I've never been that good with words or emotions. I don't think I quite… have a grip on it yet. But I'll learn.'

His eyes soften. 'However you like. You may even find that you already know. But even so, there's always time for a lesson, isn't there?'

I smile. I still don't understand the meaning of the words he gifted to me, and at the end of the day, I'm just the princes' teacher — yet I'm also a dozen other things too.

But I'll learn what those things are.

'So tell me, were you actually planning on telling me what your grand plans are?' I pry.

He winks. 'The surprise is half the fun!'

'I don't particularly like surprises!' I protest.

'Too bad!'

And he runs off before I can so much as throw our battered old pocketwatch at him.

'To think I put my life on hold merely because he sends me a letter, and _this_ is how he repays me. My word.'

I fall back on the pillows, and smile.

I have to wonder.

What on earth has Viktor got planned?

Because knowing him, it's going to rock this palace and explode this kingdom inside and out.

 _The End_

* * *

 **A/N:** Official statement: I have _officially lost it_ , and we've officially hit the end of The Next Steps! Yeet!

When I originally got into The Royal Tutor, there were two things I wanted more of: guns and girls. I adressed the first with 'The Royal Bodyguard,' and in the middle of writing that story I hit on the craziest idea to address the second.

A sequel that sees our favourite princes paired up female bodyguards.

Yes. Female bodyguards.

Needless to say, I have lost my mind or dropped it somewhere in the hallway, as Viktor says in 'One Lively Tempest!'

That aside, thank you all so much for reading, favouriting (cheesybeans, Eleganceiris, Horsii-AHD, Llyria, MinnniePizzza, Nordens, syangchen, and Very-Dark-Grey Kitsune), following (Eleganceiris, FurryCuddles37, Kokoro Rin, Samuraiko, TheFloatingOreo, and duckreb), and reviewing (Guest, heinesensei, MinnniePizzza, mochimogalina, Samuraiko, and Seisuke Seirin)!

And onwards, with 'Alone Together' coming out on June 1st, hopefully (and I still have to edit it because let's _procrastinate_!), not to mention the sequel coming out later this year (I'll be finished with the research soon and will have started the official draft in March!)

Thanks for reading, reviews welcome (because I'd kind of love to hear what you all think even if it's just a affirmation that I'm crazy), and see you in the next fic! -Electrkitty


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